Everlasting Breath Sequel to Victoria Dawn
by Victoria Dawn
Summary: This is the sequel to "Victoria Dawn," if you haven't read that yet, you should! Cuz, you won't really understand this without reading that first lol.
1. Chapter 1

Everlasting Breath

Chapter 1: New Beginning

It's been a few months since the whole Vincent thing happened. I couldn't stop thinking about everything that was happening, every single day.

I would sit outside, closing my eyes, picturing Vincent's face in my mind, mangled and lifeless. Even though the hate I held for that man was so intense, I couldn't help but feel sorry for the guy. It might sound weird, but if Dante hadn't existed, I might have considered Vincent as my life-partner.

No, what am I thinking? I didn't even know him, and what I did know of him was his terrible, power-hungry side.

I felt myself changing with the seasons, myself being the warmest at the current season, spring. I love spring, the weather is perfect, sure, sometimes it rains, but it's nice sometimes to walk through it and think about things, maybe even cry a little.

Dante, being the supportive, loving fiancée he is, has accepted my change of heart. I told him everything, even the part about being with Vincent. He didn't care, seeing as he found me first and that Vincent isn't alive anymore.

I felt sort of terrible for telling him my feelings, but I was more than glad that I could reveal them. More and more lately I'm finding myself to say more of my thoughts and think less of the consequences of what I might say.

"Victoria, April would like to speak with you," I opened my eyes to see Dante extending his arm with the phone in his hand. "I believe it is about your gown, my love."

"Oh! Okay," I grabbed the phone from his hand, cautiously putting it up to my ear. I didn't feel like going dress shopping, but I'd have to sound as convincing as possible that I would.

"Hello, Victoria, how are you, my dear?" Her voice was a sweet as honey, piercing through my eardrum like a bird singing.

"Hey, April, what's goin' on?"

"I was wondering if you would like to go dress shopping with me. I promise it won't take long and I can help you find the perfect gown."

"Sure, sounds great, when do you want to go?"

"Whenever you are ready. I see that the wedding is but two months away. I just want to make sure you are prepared."

"Of course! Well, what are you doing today?"

"Today would be perfect."

"Okay, I'll get Dante to take me over in a bit, I just have to get myself all dolled up, if you don't mind." I wasn't really going to look my best, but I'd put it off as long as I could.

"Sounds wonderful, my dear. See you soon," the end of the phone clicked.

"Dante?" I asked, raising myself up off of the ground and walking into the house. I looked around for him, finding him nowhere. _Where is that boy?_

I walked to the living room, nope, not there. Kitchen? Nope, not there either. Finally, I walked upstairs to our room and found the door closed.

Odd, he never closes the door.

I opened the door slowly and heard a gasp. I cracked it open just enough to look in and found my angel in a suit.

"You're not supposed to see me!" He was such a girl sometimes. I thought that was only a thing with the bride. I laughed a little.

"I thought _you_ weren't supposed to see _me_."

"True, but I'd rather you not see me, either."

"Well, I already have, now. I guess you'll just have to get another suit," I smiled slyly.

"Oh, come here," he walked over to me, scooping me up in his arms and kissing me gently. _Sigh_, he is simply amazing. I would be sure that if you were to look up amazing in the dictionary, it would say Dante Antonio De Luca.

"You are too cute," I breathed out. He left me speechless. Even with the mind control I had, I still couldn't remember anything I was thinking when he kissed me, hugged me, or even just looked at me.

"No, you, my dear, are adorable."

"Thanks," I blushed. That was something good about being a darkling-I could still blush.

He brushed his hand against my cheek and set me down on my feet. He hugged me one last time and backed away to look at himself in the mirror.

"I guess I do clean up pretty well, don't I?"

I walked over to him, hugging him from behind. "You look wonderful."

"Thank you. Now, I must get out of this suit before we ruin it."

"We? What am I gonna do that's going to ruin it?" I looked innocent, smiling slightly.

"Oh, I don't know, I was just kidding, anyway."

"Well, I'll let you get changed, then," something snapped in my head, "Oh! I almost forgot what I was going to ask you! April wanted to go dress shopping today and I was wondering if you would escort me to her manor?"

"Of course. Let me get changed real fast and I will be down to take you over."

"Alrighty!" I walked out the door and down the hallway. I skipped downstairs merrily and into the living room, plopping down in the same spot I'd always sat.

"I hope today doesn't suck too bad," I muttered to myself.

I waited a few minutes, crossing and uncrossing my legs, flipping through ever channel on the TV.

I finally heard Dante walking down the stairs lightly. He hardly ever made noise, and if he did, that's only because he wanted you to know he was there.

He walked to the living room, extending his hand for me to take. I placed my hand in his, intwining our fingers together.

He grabbed me by the waist with his other arm and we were off, yet again, to the large mansion.

We arrived at the large walkway, once again, skipping together before we reached the doors.

Dante used the door-knocker and we waited a moment before Nikki answered the door, as she always had. I wondered if that was her job?

"Hey, you guys!" A huge smile took over her face.

"Hey, Nikki!" I shared in her excitement. I had only seen her about a week ago, but she always made me so happy when I was in her presense.

"Hello, Nikki, how are you, my dear?" Dante was always the proper one. I stuck my tongue out at him, luckily he didn't notice. I giggled a little.

"I'm just great! Oh, Victoria, April's waiting for you outback. She's really excited! Oh, and if you don't mind, I'm coming too, seeing as I'm your flower-girl and all."

"No, that'd be great! The more, the merrier!"

"Well, you girls have fun," Dante looked a bit saddened and I told Nikki that I'd be out back in a minute to meet up with them.

"I love you, and I'll call you when I need you to come and get me, okay?" I hugged him tightly, kissing his cheek.

"That sounds great, my love, it will give me time to get some more things done, anyway. Have fun, and I love you with all of my heart," we kissed one last time and I watched him disappear in front of me, waving his hand.

I ran to the back of the house to find April and Nikki, sitting on the side of the fountain. Nikki was splashing in the water as April watched, laughing along with her. It was a beautiful sight, they looked like mother and daughter, sharing a wonderful day together. I sighed as I thought of how I would never be able to share that love with _my_ daughter, seeing as I could never have one.

"Victoria! Are you ready?!" Nikki came running over, stopping to a hault in front of me, the biggest smirk on her face I'd ever seen.

April walked over slowly, smiling.

"Of course I'm ready, let's go!"

"Now, I'm not sure where you would like to go, but I am sure there are still some man-made dress shops around here, somewhere. But, if there isn't anything left or anything that you want, then I can simply make your dress myself." I hadn't thought of that. Now that there wasn't any humans left, how were we going to do this the traditional way.

More importantly, how are the vampires going to survive? I knew I looked blank for a moment as I thought of these things and decided to push them aside until I could ask Dante later.

"It's fine, we can search around, I'm sure I'll find something, I'm not that picky."

"Okay, then, let us voyage on." April took my hand and I grabbed Nikki's, still wet from the water, and we stopped at the nearest bridal shop.

I sighed as we walked into the glass doors. The place was completely abandoned. I felt my eyes start to burn as I thought of the people that made these dresses, the people that worked here, and everyone else in the world that had died at the hands of the creatures that had now become my friends; and more importantly, my soon-to-be husband.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Dress Shopping From Hell

Walking through a large store, trying to find the perfect dress is more than an impossible feat. It's literally insane. I couldn't even imagine doing this with more than two people.

"Oh, look at this one, Vikki!" Nikki took the liberty of changing my nickname to rhyme with hers, I thought it was adorable. She stood next to a rack of dresses, pulling one out.

It was beautiful. Of course, it was covered in plastic, but I loved it already. I'd always told myself if I ever got married, my wedding would be very elegant, candles, lace, red, black and white roses, all of it.

The dress had a princess gown shape, corset top and a large skirt on the bottom. It was an off-white, which was a color I wasn't sure would fit my skin type, but I decided I'd try it, anyway.

"That's beautiful, good job, Nik!"

"Thanks!" She smiled, looking innocent as ever. She was the cutest kid I'd ever seen. I wished she was mine.

I grabbed the dress off of the rack and walked over to April, who was scanning the many dresses, herself.

"I'm going to try this one on, did you find any yet?"

"No, not any luck, I'm sorry. But, I promise you, you will find the perfect dress."

"Thanks. Well, I'll be right back, and I'll come out so you guys can see me."

"Okay, we'll be here."

I walked to the dressing room, feeling quite odd about changing my clothes in an abandoned shop. The sadness was overwhelming, but I had to keep pushing it away so that it didn't get in the way of the mood I was trying to portray.

I stripped my clothes quickly and stepped into the gown. It was quite heavy, but I wouldn't mind. I pulled the dress up to cover myself and reached my hand around my back to zip it up.

"Oh my lord…." I whispered. I stared at myself in the mirror. I looked stunning, to say the least. The color was perfect, the fit was perfect, and the _dress_ was perfect.

Lo and behold the first one I try on is it. A huge smile came across my face and I almost ran out of the dressing room.

"It's perfect!" I screamed.

April walked over slowly, looking me up and down, the brightness twinkling in her eyes. "You look absolutely beautiful, my dear. I think you've found your gown."

Nikki came running over at that instant, hugging me as tightly as she could. "I knew it! You look so pretty, Vikki! Yay for me, I found the best dress, ever!"

"Thanks, Nik."

"Well, are you sure you don't want to try on a couple more, just to make sure? We can look at other things while we're here also, like Nikki's dress and my bridesmaid dress, if you want."

"Sounds good. Seriously, I think this is the perfect dress for me; I don't want to look anymore. I'm completely happy right now. Dante will love it!"

"He would love you in a potato sack, my dear," April giggled a little.

We all started laughing, me blushing of course, thinking of Dante's face when I took my stroll down the aisle to become his wife.

We spent the rest of the afternoon looking at their dresses. They both tried on maybe fifty gowns before they found the perfect ones. For once, I was completely happy with what was going on.

I told Nikki and April I'd meet them outside because I wanted to see my finished product by myself.

I strapped my shoes on, added my tiara to my hair, and zipped my dress up, once again. I had decided not to wear a veil, since I wanted Dante to see my face right when I appeared in front of him.

I stared at myself for a long while, smiling and picturing how beautiful our wedding would be.

I unzipped my dress and heard a small voice.

"Please, please, help me…." The voice trailed off, making me gasp.

I spun around in the small room, looking for anything that would be making the voice.

"Hello?" I asked loudly. It was probably just Nikki playing a prank on me. I unstrapped my shoes, forgetting what I had heard.

Until I heard it once again, "Please, please help me, I'm scared."

It was a little boy, I was sure of. I couldn't find him but I knew he was there. I searched my mind, seeing a small dark figure in a little room, curled into the corner, whispering to help him.

I pulled my clothes on quickly and ran out of the room. I opened all of the dressing room doors, one-by-one, having no luck. Finally, I came upon the last room, opening the door slowly, peeking my head in.

A small boy sat in the corner, as I had seen his figure in my head. I crouched beside him, scooping him into my arms, cradling him.

"It will be alright," I whispered.

"I'm so scared. My mommy is gone. I don't know where she is. Please help me find her, I'm scared," he was sobbing in my arms, holding on to me tightly.

"I'll take care of you," I ran my fingers through the child's hair, kissing the top of his head. I had no clue who this kid was, but I would protect him. He was human, that I was sure of. I could hear his heartbeat.

He slowly raised his head, looking into my eyes. His were a soft green, almost the same as Dante's but a bit lighter. His hair was a dirty blond, slightly wavy and he had a round little face. I'd imagined he was no older than six 

years old. He was adorable, to say the least. He had to have been the cutest thing I'd seen since Nikki.

"You're not my mom! Where is she?!" He began punching my chest, wriggling and trying to get out of my grasp.

"I will explain later, but please, I want to save you. You have to believe me," I held him tight and his kicking stopped.

"You're….you're not one of them?"

"No, I won't hurt you, I promise. Please believe me. I want to take care of you."

"I want my mom! Where is she! Mommy!" He was screaming at the top of his lungs now and I was sure that April and Nikki would either hear him, or come in wondering what was taking so long.

I needed to save this child, and I _would_ save this child. He was so upset and worried…he sort of reminded me of myself when I lost _my_ mother. I just wasn't sure how Dante or any of the rest of the vampire would react, seeing as this child is _human_.

I slowly rose up, picking him up with me. I walked out of the room, closing the door behind me.

"You're safe now, don't worry. What's your name?"

"Xavier."

"I'm Victoria," I said, smiling at him.

He smiled at little and nestled his head into my chest, closing his eyes.

He must have believed that I wouldn't hurt him, because he was taking a liking to me so early. I felt terrible about his mother. She must have been coming to get a dress for either her wedding or a friend's. I wondered how long he'd been in that room, asking for help. I didn't know why I didn't hear him sooner; maybe I was just too happy to realize it.

I slowly walked through the store and out the front doors to find April and Nikki waiting for me, their backs turned to me.

Nikki swung around quickly, running up to me and stopping with a confused look on her face.

"Who is that?!" She screamed, looking at me accusingly.

April then swung around, anger overtaking her face, as well.

"What have you done, Victoria?!"

"I found him. His name is Xavier, and I'm going to take care of him. He lost his mother, as did I, and I will not let him die here."

"Well, if he doesn't die here, he's going to die at home!" Nikki was shouting now, waving her small fists in the air.

"Oh, Victoria, what am I going to do with you, young one?"

I held him close to my face. He had already fallen asleep or I'm sure he would have been very frightened. Two angry vampires were nothing compared to what we would be facing when we returned back to the manor.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Human Obstructions

"Victoria! You must leave him for someone to find! We cannot bring him back with us, you know this!" April was shouting now and I felt Xavier start to wiggle around in his sleep. I peeked down at him, sadness filling my soul. I couldn't just leave him here, I _needed_ him, and I'm sure that at this point in time, he needed me too.

"I'm not leaving him. I can't do it. Look, up until about half a year ago, I was still a human too, and plus, I've always wanted children! He needs me! I can't just let him die! Please, you must understand, April!"

"Vikki, you gotta leave him, please, I don't want everyone to hate you!" Nikki was tugging on my shirt, pleading with her eyes.

I felt terrible, and I already knew the consequences if I were to bring him back. I would be killed, and I knew for sure that he would suffer the same way.

"Listen, I understand everything, but this is a _child_, you guys, a _child_. He's innocent. I can't leave him and I _won't_ leave him."

I hugged him tightly, pulling him as close to me as possible. Dante would understand, he had to understand. I wished there was a way I could call him, or talk to him through my mind.

I closed my eyes, trying to send pictures of where I was into his head. I tried as hard as I could to make myself sound calm and to show him a screenshot of what was going on. I'd hoped it would work.

"Please. At least just take me home so I can talk to Dante."

"I'll take you home, but you are leaving that child. He cannot go with you and that is final. I will kill you now, if I need to, Victoria. I do not lie when I say that this is a terrible mistake on your part." April was moving closer, anger boiling in her eyes, showing with the crimson they had turned. I was sort of scared, but I knew that if worse came to worse, I would move her away with my mind and run like hell.

"No. I'm not leaving him. You have seen what I can do, April, do not toy with me." The same anger grew in my eyes and I could feel my mind cloud.

Sure, I didn't know this child, but I knew that I had to be with him, the same feeling I had felt when I knew I loved Dante. I had a strong urge to protect him, and I would do it no matter what the cost.

I found him, he was scared and he lost his family, and they want to just kill him and cast him out? What the hell is wrong with these people? Apparently the myths were true: Vampires are heartless creatures that are only out for one thing-blood.

I began shouting pictures to Dante now, shouting emotions, showing the scene over and over. I felt my eyes start to welt and opened them, letting the tears fall down my cheeks.

"Victoria, I'm not out to hurt you, but you must understand that we have this plan for a reason. We cannot allow humans to exist anymore. I am sorry."

"Why? Why can't they exist? What did they do that was so bad?! Huh? Tell me, April!" I was shouting right back at her now, being aware of Xavier, but trying to get my point across at the same time.

"They are retched creatures! They want us dead! We cannot live with them!"

"But, how can you live without them…." My voice grew solemn. If vampires needed blood to survive, where were they figuring they would get it from? I just didn't understand.

"We don't need blood to _survive_ but we do have bloodlust. Sure, it makes us feel a lot better and _look_ a lot better, but we do not need it."

A confused look crossed my face. So, they don't need it to survive? Wow, that changes a lot. But it's a hard thing to handle then, knowing that they don't need it, but they _want_ it so badly.

"Please don't kill him, please, please. He needs me, he really does. He's just a child, April, please, I know that you don't actually have a beating heart, but I know that you have feeling as though you do."

"Yes, I feel for the child, more deeply than you can probably imagine. But we have rules, my dear, we have rules we must follow or else there would be utter chaos amongst our race."

"I know, but I am not one of your race, so why do I have to follow your rules? Why do I have to be killed because I feel for a child?"

"You are lucky you are even allowed to stay alive, Victoria. I'm sorry to put it that way, but if you didn't hold a higher power for us, we would not accept you."

"Okay, okay. Just take me home-with the child."

"I will take you there. And we will stay _with_ you and Dante so you can talk about the situation. At the end of that conversation, we will take the child."

I nodded. I knew it was the only way I could get them to take me home. I felt as though Nikki sort of understood and that she kind of wanted a friend-a friend of her same age. I would agree until they wanted to take Xavier, and then I would fight back, no matter what the cost.

"Come, my dear." She extended her hand out to me. I balanced Xavier on my hip and held him with my other arm, grabbing her hand. Nikki grabbed her around her waist, and we were gone.

We arrived a few feet from Dante's house, standing on the cobblestone walkway.

"We will fetch your dress and ours a little later, after we get all of this taken care of. I'm sure no one will take it, anyway."

I nodded.

I began to walk forward, toward the house, cradling the small boy in my arms, my mind racing with things to say to Dante.

Before I knew it, Dante was running out of the house, looking at me, worried.

"Victoria! I was so worried! What happened?!"

And then he saw him.

"Who….who is….this?"

"This is Xavier. I was trying to send you images of what was going on. I found him in a dressing room, locked up and asking for help. He needs me, Dante. His family was killed and I won't let the same happen to him!" Tears 

were gushing out of my eyes which had to have been bright red by now. I just couldn't let anything happen to him.

"Victoria, he is a human."

"I know, I know, I've heard it all! They're going to take him and kill him, Dante; I just can't let it happen. I'll die with him, if I have to."

"Why all of this fuss over a child?"

"Because he needs us! He doesn't have a family! He was dying, all alone in that dressing room, I heard him, and I saved him." I hugged him tighter. "Dante, I looked into his eyes and I knew I had to have him."

He nodded once and kissed my forehead. He started walking around me and slowly toward April and Nikki. They stood hand-in-hand, a harsh look on April's face.

"April, we must talk about this. Victoria feels a bond with this child and I will stand behind her. I do not mind if he is human, for I feel no lust for his blood."

"Understandable, Dante, but this is against the rules. You knew that if Victoria hadn't turned into a Darkling, she would have been killed. You _know_ this, Dante, do not lie to yourself."

"I know, April, but we need to work something out, because I am not losing her, and apparently, she isn't giving him up."

They were whispering, as if they didn't want me to hear, but I could hear it all. Xavier started moving in my arms again and a tear fell from my cheek onto his. He was the little boy I'd always wanted, and he slightly resembled me, which was odd, too. He was mine, and I'd do anything for him now.

Call me dependent if you want, but my family was complete now, in my eyes, and I wouldn't be losing either of them anytime soon, unless my life was lost, as well.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Complete

"Okay, Dante, but we must return to the manor and have a meeting. It is the only way, you know this."

Dante nodded and turned to face me. He extended his arm out, intending for me to take his hand.

I walked forward slowly and cautiously, watching April with my every step. I took Dante's hand and he kissed me on the forehead.

The next thing I knew, we were at the large mansion again, walking toward the doors. Xavier opened his eyes slowly, looking around, a very scared expression on his face.

"Shh, don't worry, everything will be fine. I'm still here."

"Where are we?" He whispered, intending for only me to hear him, but everyone ended up turning their heads around.

"We're going to talk about some things, don't worry though, I'll take care of you, I promise." I smiled at him.

"Okay." He looked around again, finding Dante, Nikki, and April walking slightly ahead of us, Dante and me hand-in-hand, of course.

"Who are they?!" He almost shouted but I pulled my hand from Dante's quickly and placed it over his mouth.

"Shh, they won't hurt you, you'll be okay."

"Okay."

We reached the stairs and walked up them quickly, April opening the doors in front of us.

I told Xavier to wait with Nikki and play games with her while we talked about the situation.

He nodded, grabbed Nikki's hand, and they ran outside to play in the fountain. I'd never seen Nikki so happy.

The three of us walked to the large room, once again, where the other men were already waiting. I'd imagined April had contacted them somehow so that they knew what was going on.

Instantly, the man named "John" rose from his chair and quickly walked over, saying something unintelligible.

"What do you think you are doing, young lady?! You know the rules of our people!"

Dante walked in front of me and into John's face. "Do not yell at her, she understands the rules, but as you know, she is _not_ one of our people, John, she is something else, and she has her own rules. Up until she turned nineteen, she was a human, and she also lost her mother. She understands this boy and she would like to take care of him. Please grant us permission."

I smiled behind Dante, staring at the back of his head. _He really is behind me on this, I can't believe it._

"You know the only way you can keep him, Dante. You know what must be done."

Dante was silent now and he turned around to face me. A solemn look crossed his face and just as quickly, it passed and he looked determined.

"We must change him," he said quietly.

I looked at him and then looked at everyone else around the room; they all nodded and closed their eyes, almost simultaneously.

"I can't allow that, I'm sorry."

"Victoria, it's the only way. Either he's changed, or he's going to be killed. Sweetheart, you must do what is right for him."

"So changing him into a monster like us is the answer?! I don't understand you people! He is a child for god sake! He is innocent; he hasn't done anything to deserve such a fate!"

"Please, we must change him. We cannot allow him to survive as a human; you understand this, my dear." April tried as hard as she could to look calm, but I could tell that something inside of her loved every minute of this. She 

was my friend now, yes, but I did not agree with what she was saying in the least.

"There's no other way? Nothing?" I felt defeated. I couldn't believe they were going to kill this little boy. Yes, turning him into a vampire is _killing_ him. It was complete bullshit and I didn't want to stand there and let it happen.

"I am afraid not, my dear," another vampire stepped forward now. He looked almost the same as John, with subtle changes to the way his face was shaped.

I slumped my shoulders and sighed loudly. At least they would let him survive, right? I mean, my future husband is a vampire, right? It wouldn't be that bad, would it?

But, it would, because of the way they were going about it. I found this child, I promised him I would protect him and that I wouldn't hurt him, and now he was going to be changed into one of the people that killed his family. I felt completely useless, scared, worried, and sad.

"My love, we can have a child," Dante picked my face up by my chin and looked into my eyes.

"What do you mean?"

"It is possible to have a child, if you prefer. You don't have to settle for a human boy, if you don't want to."

"Wait, what? We can have a baby? What are you talking about? And, settle? I'm not settling, Dante, he needs me!"

"Sweetie, I have found that I can cry, remember? It is a possibility that we can have a child of our own. We can save everyone the heartbreak of changing him, if you do not want to."

"Dante, I _want_ him, he needs me."

"Okay then, it is settled, he will be changed as soon as possible."

I nodded in agreement. There would be no other way. And, wait, we _can_ have a baby! I can be a mother; I can have my own child, a product of Dante and I. I almost smiled at the thought. We will be able to have two children, as I had always preferred. Finally, my family is becoming complete. 

Yes, it's going to be a little weird to have vampires as a husband and son, but I will still love them both unconditionally.

"I love you and everything will be okay." He took my hands and stared into my eyes.

"I know. I'm happy, I really am. I'm just glad that I found him."

"Let's go gather the children."

"So, you will change him, Dante?" April stopped him dead and he just stared straight ahead.

He turned to face her slowly. "_Me_? I have to change the boy?"

"If you prefer, since he will be your son. You would like him to be tied to you, am I right?"

"I guess you're right. Then, yes, I will do it."

He turned back around to look at me, grabbed my hand, and guided me out the door, leaving the rest of them in the room.

"You're going to change him?" I whispered, grabbing his hand tighter.

"Yes, if I change him, he will rightfully be my son. He will be tied to me by my venom. That is what you want, isn't it, love?"

"Well, yeah, but if it's too much for you, you don't have to do it."

"I'll be fine." He looked forward.

We walked out the back door and into the garden, finding Xavier and Nikki laughing and playing in the fountain, as I had seen them doing. I smiled as we walked toward them, actually wishing they were _both_ mine.

"Hey, guys!" I let go of Dante's hand and went running toward them. I sat next to Xavier, hugging him from behind, playing in the water with them.

Dante came walking over, smiling brightly, watching us all play.

"You want to come live with me, Xavier?"

"Yeah!" He sounded so excited and turned around and hugged me tightly.

I was the happiest I'd ever been in my life at that very moment. Everything was going to go perfectly, this time. I would be getting married soon, I had a son, and I _could_ get pregnant. Smiles all around!

"Victoria, would you like to get going? We must make arrangements for Xavier to live with us. You know, his bed, clothes, food."

"Yeah, of course! You want to go shopping with us?" I stood up, picking him up with me.

"Yeah! Can Nikki come, too?! Please, please?!"

"If it's okay with April, she can."

At that very second, Nikki went running into the house, screaming. Not even two seconds later, she came running back out, hopping in the air.

"Vikki, I can come, I can come!"

I turned to face Dante. "Is that okay with you?"

He shrugged. "Fine with me. Let's go, guys."

Nikki grabbed my free-hand, Dante grabbed me around the waist, and we ended up outside of _Bed Bath and Beyond_.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Change of Heart

"This one! This one!" Xavier was jumping up and down, pointing to a bedding set featuring _SpongeBob Squarepants_.

"You want that one, X?" Dante was in more of a playful mood than he usually was, probably considering we had two small children running around the biggest store imaginable, pointing at things and running hand-in-hand everywhere.

I'm not going to lie, it was quite exhausting.

"Yeah, that one!" He pointed again, throwing his arms in the air. He and Nikki then grabbed hands and began spinning around, singing a children's song. They were the cutest kids I'd ever seen and I didn't want to let go of either of them any time soon.

The decision to change Xavier had stung in my mind for the rest of the afternoon as I watched him, acting like a normal child. He seemed happy to just be alive, and I didn't want to take that away from him, no matter what the cost. If I had to give my own life to save his, I'd decided that would be what I would do.

"Victoria?" I shook my head when I heard his voice. "Do we need anything else for the little guy? He seems pretty content with the supplies we have gathered."

"Yeah, I think we're good. Are we good, guys?" I bent down to look into both of their cute little faces and they both smiled and nodded simultaneously.

"Alright then, let's get you home, Nikki."

"But I don't want to go home yet! I want to keep playing with Xavier! I haven't had child contact in so long; please, Victoria, please?" She turned her head innocently and smiled. It was too hard to resist, so I decided she would help us set up Xavier's room.

"Is it okay if she comes home with us for a little while, Dante?" I gave him the same pleading look.

"Well, okay, it's hard to resist so many cute faces around me."

We arrived back at the house and Dante picked out Xavier's room. Surprisingly, he had a room with hardly anything in it, and lo and behold, that was chosen as his room.

Nikki and Xavier played around in the room most of the time Dante and I were setting it up. They were entirely too excited to stay in one place and it was completely exhausting to look after them all day. Kids are tough, I decided.

Another thing I decided-Xavier would not be turned into a vampire, at least until he was old enough to make the decision for himself. If he would decide he would like to be the same age as Nikki, he would have that decision. They must grant us with this. I wouldn't have it any other way.

After Dante dropped Nikki off and Xavier was quietly sleeping in his new room, I decided to have a conversation with Dante about the changing of our new son.

"I don't want Xavier to be changed until he is able to make the decision for himself," I blurted it out, exactly how I felt. I'd hoped Dante wouldn't be too hard on me.

"I completely agree, in all honesty. I would prefer that if he is our son, that he would be able to make his own decision about how his life will turn out. I honestly think that if we were to change him now, he would never survive. His mind is much too young for that type of physical agony, let alone the mental suffering it would cause him."

My mood saddened. I hated thinking of our new son being a crazed, blood thirsty monster at such a young age. Nikki was something else, sure, she was physically only nine years old, but she had been born in the early 1900's, as was Dante. She had a much older mind, considering her young age. I wanted Xavier to be like her, before he made up his own mind.

"When should we ask them?"

"We should go back tomorrow. Xavier and Nikki can play all day while we get this sorted out once again. You know, Victoria, I never knew children could be so wonderful. They have really opened up my eyes."

"I know, they're great, aren't they?" I smiled, looking down. I loved them so much, and I loved the way my little family was starting to work out.

"We should have our own."

I shot my head up at that instant. "Our….own?"

"Yes, we should have a baby. A combination of you and I. Imagine how wonderful he or she would end up. Our baby would be the most beautiful being imaginable." He looked up, his eyes filling with wonder.

Sure, I wanted to have Dante's baby, but right now? How would that possibly work out? And more importantly, what would our baby turn out to be? It was intriguing to think of, yet terrifying also.

"I think we should wait until the situation with Xavier is worked out, don't you?"

"Yes, I suppose. Maybe I am just clouded with the love of children at the moment. They made me feel so….alive, today, my love. I've never felt that way before….well, except when I'm with you." He kissed me lightly, and then growing with force. I felt the heat of his body against mine, although it wasn't hot at all. Maybe it was the heat of passion?

He began to move his hands all over my body, being very careful not to hurt me, which I would make sure he wouldn't do. He moved his hand under my shirt, caressing my back and rubbing up and down with the softest touch.

"I love you so much," he whispered, kissing my neck.

"Dante, I don't think…" I lost my voice as I felt his teeth brush against my skin.

_Is he going to bite me? Oh well, I don't care._ I knew I should have stopped him, but I let it keep going.

"It is so temping, my love. You blood still runs through your veins with the sweetest scent."

"I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"For my blood running through my veins."

He giggled and I did too. He sighed then and pressed his lips back down to my throat, making me breathe in short, quick gasps.

I felt his teeth grow out of his mouth and pierce into my skin slightly. I sighed heavily and he pressed them in deeper. It didn't hurt, surprisingly. It felt….good.

He then pressed them in all the way and began sucking. I could feel the blood from my vein flowing into his mouth and my head clouded with pleasure. _Why does this feel so good? Why do I love this so much?_

It burned slightly, but I couldn't feel it; I was numb.

He kept sucking and kissing me lightly around his teeth. I wanted to kiss him badly but I didn't want this moment to end. He was caressing me still, and I started to see in black and white.

I heard him gasp loudly and in one quick move, he removed his teeth from my neck and snapped his head back up.

"Oh my God. I am so, so sorry, Victoria. I don't know what I was thinking." He wiped my blood from his chin and I smiled. Why? I couldn't tell you.

"It felt….good. I hope you don't think I'm crazy."

He looked utterly confused as I said this. His eyes returned to my throat and he wrinkled his forehead.

"You're….you're healed?"

"What?" I grabbed the side of my neck, feeling nothing. I felt no blood, I felt no holes; there was nothing.

"How is that possible?"

"I….I don't know." Just then, I almost screamed. My bones felt like they were crushing, my veins were burning. My heart was beating the fastest I've ever felt it beat. What was going on? Was I turning into a vampire? But….it can't be possible.

_Can it?_


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Is This Real?

I began screaming and twisting my body around, trying to block out my extreme pain and agony. _How is this happening?_ I kept asking myself; I thought I couldn't be a vampire, I thought I was already my own type of immortal? What is going on?

Dante was trying to calm me down, holding me, telling me it would be okay, all the while his face looked worried as ever. I could tell he didn't understand what was going on, either, and that scared me even more.

A few minutes into my agony, Xavier came running into the room.

"What's happening to Victoria?! What's going on?!" He was jumping up and down, pulling on Dante's shirt, screaming over and over again.

"I don't know! Xavier, you shouldn't be in here!" Dante was trying his hardest to keep me down on the bed as my body began convulsing. I could hear them both sobbing as I felt myself slipping into a deep darkness.

Their voice grew more faint, as did the pain, and my vision was black. I could see nothing, and I could hear nothing.

_Where am I? Where is Dante? What is going on?!_ I felt myself slipping into a deep sleep but I was trying to pull myself out of it.

I could feel myself reaching for reality, stretching my arms out to the world I once knew. I felt my mind changing, my body changing, my _soul_ changing.

I grabbed the picture I saw in my mind of Dante, holding me down and telling me it would be okay. I grabbed the picture of my new little boy, screaming and sobbing in response to my agony.

My eyes shot open but all I could see was white. I tried to blink a few times and finally, reality became very clear.

"Victoria! Oh my God, what have I done?!" I looked next to me to see Dante, face in his hands, crying his eyes out.

Xavier was lying on the floor, his head also in his hands, curled up in a little ball crying, also.

"Dante?" I let out a whisper.

He shot his head up, as did Xavier at the same time, and grabbed me, pulling me as close to him as I could possibly be.

"What happened?" I could still feel the light burning of my veins and the all too faint beating of my heart.

"I don't know. I….I lost control. I….I bit you, Victoria." He looked down, ashamed and Xavier ran to his side, grabbing my arm from Dante's waist and hugging it.

"What happened to you, Vikki?! I was scared, I thought you were gonna leave me!"

"I'm fine, Xavier, everything is okay. I'm sorry I scared you like that."

"Victoria. What happened to you? I don't understand. What's going on? How is this possible?"

"I don't know, but that was the worst pain I've ever felt in my life, that's for sure."

"Don't make this into a joke, please. I thought you were dying, I thought my venom might have killed you. I….I thought I lost you…." Tears streamed down his face and he kissed me lightly. I could taste his tears, although they didn't taste like salt; the taste was something I could never describe. It was almost a refreshing substance, to be completely honest.

"I thought I was dying, too," I backed my face away from his and placed my hands on my own face, feeling my features. I still felt like myself, physically, for the most part. And, mentally, I felt more like myself than ever.

Another wave of pain hit me in that instant and I curled up on the bed, trying to muffle my own screams. I felt my heart beat fast, and then slow, and then…it….stopped? I moved my hand up to my chest to feel. Nothing. Not a beat, not a sound….nothing.

I gasped. Oh my God, it really was happening. I was turning into a vampire. But, why so gradually, why not all at once? I thought when you were bitten, it took you at least a day to react to the venom and to turn. Maybe I really was different.

"Victoria! Victoria! Are you okay?! What's happening? Is it happening again?!"

I rose my head up slowly and realized that I was now hearing the only beating heart in the room-Xavier's. I could hear his heart as though it were a beautiful song, playing just for me. I could smell the sweetest aroma-a scent almost like roses and daisies. I wanted to smell it more. I _needed_ this scent forever.

"What is that smell?" I perked my head up, searching around the room with my nose.

Dante looked confused as ever, once again and finally realized what was happening.

"Darling, I think you have experienced your first scent of blood."

Just then, I shot my eyes to my sweet little boy; the one I had saved, the one that I would die for; and I realized, at this moment-I wanted to kill him.

I wanted to rip his heart from his chest and drink the sweet liquid that filled it. I wanted to suck every last drop from his flowing veins and I wanted to smile as I did it.

_What am I thinking? I promised him I would save him, and know I want to _kill_ him?_

Xavier began to back away from me. I could feel my own eyes burning into his neck, his vein in my sight, ready for my attack.

"Victoria, get ahold of yourself. You're much stronger than this." Dante grabbed my face and moved my head so that I was facing his. He pushed his forehead into mine and whispered, "I'm so sorry. What have I done?" He shook his head lightly, closing his eyes and another tear ran down his cheek.

"You're not gonna hurt me, are you?" I heard Xavier's small voice, further away than before. Just then, I remembered what I was doing. I was smelling his sweet scent. I was inhaling it heavily through my ever-aware nostrils. I was wanting this scent to be a part of me.

I shook my head and took my mind off of the small boy. I was stronger than this, and I was stronger than the burn in my throat. I'd imagined I was feeling the first signs of blood lust and I wasn't quite sure how to deal with it.

_Killing Xavier will only make things worse. You must care for him, you must be stronger than this._ I heard my father's voice in my head. I could see his pleading face. I could tell he was being truthful and that he really _did _care.

_I'd never kill him. I promised him that. I love that child as if he were my own; which, technically, he is now. I cannot kill him, even if his blood smells like mom's old cooking._ I replied back to my father, closing my eyes.

"Are you going to be okay with Xavier staying here?" I opened my eyes slowly, nodding my head in response to Dante's question.

"I'll be fine," I smiled. I looked over to Xavier, smiling lightly. He began moving closer, the smile on his face growing bigger.

"Okay, I trust you, Vikki!"

Kids were so easy to persuade. No, I wasn't lying to Xavier; I really did love him and I really did believe that I could handle myself around him. My mind is much stronger than anyone else's on this planet and I believe that I can do whatever I want with it.

Maybe _this_ is what the elders saw in me? My mind clicked into place.

"They knew." I whispered.

"What?"

"The elders knew you would change me. They knew I would be a vampire hybrid, they knew this would happen. They knew it all."

Dante looked up, in deep thought and shot his eyes back down to mine. "You're right. They must have known all along. They had to have known you were going to become a vampire. They knew…." His voice trailed off.

"They knew one way or another, that I would become one of your kind. I can't believe it. It's insane. How would they know such a thing?"

"They are much wiser than you give them credit for, my love. But, first thing's first, we must figure out what you are capable of and what you are 

capable of handling. Take Xavier for instance, you mustn't ever look at him with bloodlust in your eyes. You scared him."

"I'm sorry, I just….I almost lost control of myself until I told myself that I could handle it. It just all came as such a surprise. We were kissing, and the next thing I know, I'm burning and I feel like I'm dying."

"I know, I was really scared too. Believe me, it was not my intention. I thought I could handle myself much better than I did. But, I can never forgive myself for what I have turned you into." He lowered his head, tears falling onto his shirt. I lifted his chin up with my finger and looked into his eyes.

"Please don't blame yourself. I don't and will never blame you, so please don't. I love you, now and forever."

"I just can't believe I let myself do that. I can't believe I did this to you."

"I'm fine….really."


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7: Willing Against Thirst

"We have to go talk to April. She may know what is going on here. That is, unless you don't want to, my love." Dante stared at me with that caring look in his eyes, although I all I saw was Xavier's blood as he sat in the other room.

For some reason, I just couldn't get it off of my mind. I was freaking out, yet telling myself I was fine.

Finally, I told my throat to shut up. I mean, I can still be part darkling, right? I'm not a full vampire, am I? It's all too complicated. Maybe going to the elders was the best answer.

"Yeah, let's go." I finally looked up at him and smiled lightly.

He grabbed my hand and led me downstairs where we saw Xavier watching TV.

"Hey, little guy, we're going to go see Nikki, want to come?" Dante was becoming much better at talking in the language of a child. It was the cutest thing I'd ever seen when they would get together and play around. I loved it and I loved both of them.

"Yeah!" He ran over to us, taking Dante's hand and we ended up where we always did-the mansion.

"Go get Nikki and play with her for awhile, okay, X?" Dante bent down to look into the little boy's face and Xavier went running into the house screaming for his playmate.

We reached the door and before Dante could knock, April opened it and greeted us.

"Come in, please."

We walked through the house, this time taking our seats in the living room. The room with filled with luxuries; the walls were a crimson red and the couches were a black velvet. I kept running my hands across them, as things as a vampire felt better to the touch.

In fact, all of my senses were exaggerated now. I could see clearer, I could hear things more loudly, and I could smell _everything_.

"We know what happened." April started, her hands cradled in her lap, staring Dante and I down as though we'd committed murder.

"It was an accident. I just want to know if she will be okay. Is she a true vampire now?"

"It's all too complicated, dear. I cannot tell whether or not she still has some darkling in her, but I believe that she does. She shows much control, considering she hasn't killed Xavier yet, herself."

"I would never let her kill him. Do you take me for a mad man?" Dante's voice grew angry.

"Of course not, Dante. I applaud you for helping her. But this is a very odd sight. I hadn't believed the men when they had told me what she would become, but now I see it, face-to-face. The Queen has arisen from the darkness, I do believe."

"Wait, what?? _Queen?_ Please explain to me why I'm being called a 'ruler' and a 'Queen' and blah, blah, blah. I just don't understand any of it. I mean, sure, I feel the thirst and everything, but I really don't feel any different."

"Exactly. Feeling only thirst is a very good sign. Every other vampire that has just been changed usually kills the first human they see. In you fiance's case, it was his family."

I looked over at Dante and he lowered his head. I could tell that statement hurt him, and it hurt me to think of his feelings.

"Listen, April. I love you and all, but I don't think this whole 'ruling' thing is for me. I just don't see how I'm supposed to do it. And anyway, if Dante and I are supposed to be 'ruling' the vampire population, where are all of them? What are they all waiting for?"

"Victoria, we need you to make peace with our people. They have gone mad. Killing humans is one thing, but they are monsters and we cannot keep order ourselves anymore. The power you possess is that of a much higher level than any of us sitting in this room."

"So, you're saying that I'm more powerful now because I'm this…this hybrid-type thing?"

She nodded once.

"So, what will happen to Xavier? That was the reason we came to talk to you today, but the whole situation last night happened."

"What would you like to know, my dear?"

"I would like to ask a favor of you."

"Which would be?"

"Would it be at all possible that we could wait for Xavier to be changed? Dante and I have talked about it and we feel that if we could wait a few more years, he would be able to make the decision for himself. Also, the fact of Nikki comes up, as well."

"What about Nikki?"

"They like each other so much and I just think that it would be great to at least wait until he is her age. Then they could be kids together, forever."

April's face twisted in thought and she shot glances at the other men, who nodded.

"I don't think that will be possible."

"What?! Why not? What has he done? A few more years as a human child won't do anything. Please, April, you've got to understand, he's just a child! We've been through this before, but I think that it would be for the best."

"I cannot allow it, Victoria. He is changed now, or he dies. I am sorry, but that is the way of our people now."

"April, what would you do if he were your child?" Dante plead with his voice but it was to no avail.

"I will not have him staying human, Dante. I will not have it. Now, leave. I will not discuss this any further."

I looked to Dante, tears filling my eyes and he mouthed, "We'll figure out something."

"May we have a few days, at least? So he can understand what is going on?" Dante was trying anything, now, and that made me happy. He really did care for Xavier now, and I loved that.

"If you must. But, if you do not return the child within the next week, we will come after you. Do not take this lightly. You two may be our next rulers, but we obviously must show you the light in our ways."

We both nodded, got up, and walked out the door to find Xavier.

He and Nikki were running around in the front yard, singing and laughing, holding hands.

"Hey, X, let's get going, bud." Dante shouted.

"I don't wanna go! I wanna stay with Nikki!"

I saw Nikki whisper something to Xavier and he came running over to us. He grabbed Dante's hand and we disappeared as we all waved to Nikki.

Once again, Xavier was put to bed and Dante and I were lying in our bedroom, breathing silently.

"What's your big plan?" I asked.

"We will start a petition, if you may."

"A petition? How are we going to do that? Vampires hate humans, they'll never go for it."

"Don't be so quick to judge, my love. I have many friends who loved humans, and it hurt them just as much to have to change or kill them."

"I can't imagine what it's going to feel like to have to change our little boy." I started calling him "our little boy" because in the short length we've had him, he has felt more like ours than anything.

"Don't worry, he'll be fine. He'll get to make the decision for himself, even if I have to kill April myself."

"Yeah, what's her problem, anyway? All of the guys nodded like they were agreeing with us, so what is wrong with her?"

"They may have been nodding in agreement with her, though."

"True. I don't know, it just angers me, ya know? It's like, I found him, I should be able to care for him in my way."

"I understand. But, tomorrow is a new day and we will get our petition started. Do not fret, my love, he will be fine."

"I trust you. I hope this works, too, because I really sort of like April. I don't want to have to kill her." I giggled.

I fell asleep shortly after and was woken up by another horrible nightmare. Since Xavier had entered my life, I hadn't had many bad dreams, but the thought of changing him into a vampire scared me; in my dreams as well.

I saw through his eyes in this dream. I saw Dante coming down on my throat and pinching me sharply with his teeth. I felt my veins burn, my heart stop, and my head fog. It had been like my actual experience, but much more painful.

I had imagined that would be how Xavier would feel when he was bitten and I hated it. I hated to think of that sweet little boy tied down and forced to be turned into one of the very monsters that had killed his entire species.

"Victoria, you were asleep." Dante whispered.

I wrinkled my forehead. I must be more human than I had thought. How was it possible? I still felt weakened, and I still felt tired. Weird.

"Yeah, I was….sleeping. But, how is it possible?"

"We need to talk to your father, as well as everyone else, tomorrow. We need some answers."

For once, Dante was feeling the questions I was always asking, and now, he wanted the answers, as well.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8: Start of a War

I stayed up next to Dante for the rest of the night, talking about wedding plans, and if our wedding would still even take place.

It was all so confusing. One moment in the heat of passion with Dante and I was changed into a vampire. How could this happen? Our wedding may be postponed, our new child may be killed, and worst of all, I had to see my father again.

Sure, things between us are a little better than they were before, that's for sure, but I still didn't know how to talk to him.

"Are you guys ready to go?" I asked Dante and Xavier as I walked down the stairs. I wore something a little more appropriate for meeting new people. I decided to wear a knee-length tan skirt and an emerald green sweater. I wouldn't be cold in the weather, although it was still mid-March.

"You look beautiful, my love, I like your hair like that. And, yes, we are ready." I hated wearing my hair up, but I decided today might be a good day to try it.

"Okay, then, let's go!"

We reached the mansion and dropped off Xavier, telling him to be good and to have fun with Nikki. He went running off, waving, and we realized our first destination.

"We have to see my father first."

"Of course. Where is he exactly?"

I searched my mind for my father and found him walking down a bare street. It seemed as though he was waiting for me, and that is exactly what I told him to do. I saw him nod his head and I opened my eyes.

"He's in New York, waiting for us. Let's go."

"Okay."

"What brings you around, kid?" My father walked toward us, a smile crossing his face.

"I need to ask you some questions, dad."

"Your eyes….they're….red?"

"Dad, an accident happened."

"An accident?! See, I told you nothing good would come of this relationship! What did I tell you, Victoria?!"

"Dad, calm down! Everything is fine. Dante bit me, and I was turned. It happened a couple of days ago. I just need to ask you some stuff."

"You were turned into a vampire? But….why? How? I didn't think it was possible!"

"I didn't either, dad, but apparently it is. I feel thirsty and everything is much more vibrant to all of my senses, but I'm fine, really. My mind can handle it."

"And….the child?"

"Xavier is fine." Dante cut in. "We needed to see you to ask if anything like this has ever happened before. Do you know anything about what she has become?"

My father looked away in deep thought. I could tell his mind was boggled, but that he knew something about it.

"Well, obviously, she will have human, vampire, and darkling characteristics. Have you tried eating human food, Vic?"

"No, actually I haven't. I haven't even thought of that. I can still sleep, dad, how weird is that?"

"Hmm, curious. That's very weird actually. I wonder what else you can do."

"I don't know, and I was hoping that you would have some type of idea. I don't know anything really about either of the creatures I am and it's making it kind of hard. I mean, obviously, I'm a weird one, I'm an exception, and I don't know what to do."

"I understand. Maybe I can help you. I can train you, Vic. I know that I haven't been the best dad lately, but I never stopped loving you and I will do whatever I can to help you in this time."

"Thanks, dad."

"Please know, Damien, that I did not intend for this to happen. I feel terrible for what I have done. Please do not think that I wanted so much for her to be one of my kind."

"Dante, I am done being angry with you. I am truly sorry for what I have said and done in the past and I hope that you will forgive me."

"You are forgiven."

They both nodded their heads and looked at me.

"We need your help, dad. April wants to kill Xavier."

"I saw that. I think it's really stupid, to say the least. He's a damn child! I don't understand that woman sometimes. Okay, I don't understand her _ever_."

"I know, I think it's ridiculous. Dante and I asked if he could stay human for a few years, just so that he would be old enough to make the decision for himself, but she said she wouldn't have it. She won't let him. Dad, I don't want him to suffer like that. The physical pain is one thing, but imagine a child with the most terrible thirst. It hurts me to think of it."

"Yes, we have to help him. I will help you two in any way you need me. I don't want him to be changed just yet, either. Well, I'd rather him not be changed _at all_, but that's a little of a stretch."

"We are going to start a petition and we would like you to join us, Damien. We will walk into April's mansion with as many people as we can get and we will overthrow her. We are supposed to be the new rulers, am I correct? Then our word should be much stronger than hers."

"That is true. Shouldn't she be listening to you two? What happened to you being the 'King and Queen'?"

"I don't know. But, if we are going to rule, there is going to be some changes around here."

"Yeah, I'm not going to stand back and watch Xavier get killed. I love him, dad, and he's ours now. We're his new parents and we should get to say what happens to him."

"Where do we start?" My father was on our side now, which felt nice. He had made amends with Dante, and was being more than supportive in our decision. I just didn't know how we would find vampires that would want Xavier to survive the same way we did.

"We start at Allison and Michelle's house. You know where they live, am I correct, Damien?"

"Yes. I will show you and you can take us there."

"Wait, you're going to show him? How are you going to do that?"

"I'm going to simply grab his hand and show him my thoughts. I will teach you, Vic, don't worry."

"Okay." I could tell that being a darkling was much more than I had ever figured out. I knew I had no clue where to start and I was happy that my father was here now.

We all grabbed hands and arrived in front of a beautiful home. It looked quite modern-white siding, red shutters, and two floors. A wooden porch wrapped around the front and was lined with tons of colorful flowers.

We walked up the stone walkway and Dante knocked on the door.

A tall woman answered and smiled. I imagined she was either Allison or Michelle.

"Dante! It's so nice to see you!" She grabbed him and hugged him tightly and looked over at me quickly.

"Hello, Allison."

"Oh! And you must be Victoria!" She moved quickly over in front of me and gave me the same type of hug. A little awkward, but nice at the same time.

"Hi, Allison."

"Damien, good to see you again." She then walked to my father, hugged him, and stepped back to look at us all.

She resembled an older Nikki, in my opinion. She had shorter bright blond hair, and piercing blue eyes. She had a slightly rounder face and large, full lips. She was flawless, to say the least. I knew I had to get used to seeing all of these beautiful faces, although as many that I saw, they would always keep knocking the breath out of me.

"Come in, come in." She held her arm out across the door and we all followed in, one-by-one.

"Where is Michelle?" Dante was looking around, trying to scope out where he thought she might be.

The inside of the house was average, but still pretty. We walked to the living room, which was very bright; the walls were a mint green and the couches were a bright white. I couldn't imagine having a house pet in such a place.

"Michelle will be down in a moment. She has been quite depressed today for some reason."

"I see." Dante took his seat and I took mine next to him. My father sat on the small armchair, slouching.

"You are probably wondering why we are here." Dante said.

"A little curious, yes." Allison reminded me of my mother, actually. She talked lightly, but she still held the meaning of her words. She seemed caring and loving. I wondered what type of relationship she had with Michelle.

"Victoria found a human child."

A slight gasp released itself from her lips and her face turned back to calm just as quickly.

"I know, it is a surprise. April wants Xavier to be killed or turned into a vampire, right away, but we do not agree with this. We would rather him be old enough to make the choice for himself."

She nodded slowly and closed her eyes, crossing her arms. "I agree." She finally said.

"Would you like to join us in our petition? We plan to walk into April's mansion with the most people we can gather. We would like her to really hear us out, and apparently that isn't going to happen without numbers."

"Yes, April can be very stubborn sometimes, can't she?" A solemn look crossed her face for a split second and then she smiled. She turned her head toward the door to the living room and in walked Miss Michelle.

Surprisingly, she looked almost like me. She had hair that passed slightly below her shoulders with a choppy, layered cut. Her hair was cinnamon brown and her eyes were the same color. She wore average clothes, yet she wore them more gracefully than I'd ever seen any other woman do.

"Dante? What are you doing here?" She asked as she took her seat next to Allison.

"I have just got done explaining to your sister what has happened."

Ah, her _sister_; there was my answer.

"And that explanation would be?"

"Victoria has found a human child and April prefers that he either be killed or turned into one of us right away. We are here to ask your support. We do not agree with her and we would like to form a petition and we would prefer that you stand beside us."

"So, you don't want him to be turned? He will be killed, Dante, you cannot allow him to stay human for that long." She spoke calmly, yet with much infliction in her voice.

"We understand this, but we can protect him, believe me."

"Then, yes, I will join you." Her and Allison looked at each other and smiled and then looked back to Dante.

"Thank you so much. You two will be of great help to our cause. I hope you truly understand where we are coming from."

They nodded and we all stood up.

"I'll contact you when we need you." I said, and winked at my father.

We walked out of the house and my father showed Dante the next place of attack.

"This might take awhile, Victoria. Let me know when you get hungry, okay?" Dante cared way too much. I was much too excited to be hungry, I mean, come on, I get to meet tons of new vampires! I couldn't wait!

"One down, millions to go." I smiled at him.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9: Our Mission Has Begun

"We must see Nicholas, Christopher, Melissa, and Summer, next. They will be pleased to be included in our endeavor." Dante already had everyone lined up, and I was sure he had everything he wanted to say worked out, as well.

"Very well….ah, here they are!" My father opened his eyes, grabbed Dante's hands and showed him where they were. I was sure Dante already knew, considering most of these people had been his friends, but my father was all too excited to use his "special powers."

We arrived again in front of another house. This one was much larger-almost castle-looking. It was made of large, grey stones and vines ran up all of the sides. It had no porch, but bushes lined the entire outside.

The walkway consisted of matted-down grass, which surprised me considering they must be rich to own this.

We reached the front door and Dante knocked again. The doors reminded me of those on the entrance of April's mansion.

I stared ahead and watched as both of the doors opened, revealing two very large men. I had to twist my head upward just to look into their faces.

They both had shaggy hair, although one had a dirty blond, and the other a fire red. They were both equally pale and equally magnificent-looking.

One of the men spoke in a very deep voice. It scared me at first as it rumbled through the stone walls.

"Dante! I haven't seen you in years, man, how are ya?" I was quite taken but the way he talked-I would have thought he would be proper, like the rest of the vampires. After all, most of them came from the early 1900's.

"Hello, Nicholas," he nodded his head at him, "Hello, Christopher. This is my fiancée, Victoria, and her father, Damien."

"Ah, Victoria! We've heard much about you!" Christopher was much more proper than Nicholas in his words, but his voice was just as deep.

"Hi. I imagine you've heard all about our situation then, haven't you?" I asked.

Their faces twisted in confusion and they both looked at Dante, searching his face for their answers.

"May we come in? Also, where are the girls?" Dante smiled slyly.

"They're inside, come on in! They'll be excited to see you, dude."

We walked inside and I stretched my neck up to look at the ceiling. There was a very large mural covering the entire surface. It was beautiful, painted like stained glass. It looked so realistic.

A large chandelier hung above us as we walked along a runner and into the dining room, I have believed.

I looked ahead of me, holding hands with Dante, and saw a woman sitting at the table. The other was standing in the kitchen with her back faced toward us.

The one at the table looked completely mysterious. She had long black hair that hung around her face like a veil and she peeked her eyes through the stray hairs. Her eyes were a bright red, which scared me. She must be very thirsty considering there was nothing to curve any of our thirsts anymore.

She wore a bright red strapless dress and black high-heels. Her legs were crossed under the table but I could see her bright blue veins under her translucent skin. I felt her pain.

The other woman turned around, a bright smile filling her face. Her hair was a dirty blond color, as well, parted to the side with bangs that swept perfectly across her face. Her eyes were a bright green color-almost the same as Dante's, yet his were amazingly more vibrant.

She wore a white summer dress, the complete opposite as the other woman. Strappy, yellow sandals cradled her feet as she danced across the room and into Christopher's arms. They were a perfect match, both with lovely blond hair, and both very cheerfully dressed.

"Oh! Dante!" She realized who was standing here and ran over to Dante, taking his hands and kissing them, one-by-one. I knew not to feel jealous.

"Hello, Melissa. How have you been, my dear?" How ironic, the mysterious woman's name was _Summer_.

"I have been just wonderful!" She ran back over to Chris and took his side, wrapping her pale arms around him. She looked completely fragile in his presence.

"Melissa, this is Victoria, my fiancée, and this is her father, Damien." He stretched his arms out to both of us as he introduced us and she smiled with a little wave.

Summer got up out of her chair and pushed it in with a loud scraping sound across the wooden floor.

"Hello, Dante." Her voice was hoarse and she sounded sick. I felt bad for her; I could tell she was in agony.

"Summer, it is so good to see you. You look striking as always."

"Don't lie, Dante, it isn't nice." She sounded coarse and it kind of got to me. He was just trying to be a gentleman, what's so bad about that?

"So, why are you guys here, anyway? I haven't heard from you since you called about the wedding arrangements, why come now?" Michelle's face grew curious.

"Truth is that we have a favor to ask of all of you."

"What's that, Dante?" Chris asked.

"Victoria has found a human child and we need your help to convince April to let him live."

"She wants to kill him?!" Unexpectedly, Summer was the one to explode with this question. Apparently, first impressions aren't always right.

"Yes. We have asked her to wait a few years so that Xavier can make the decision for himself, seeing as he would be around Nikki's age, but she said she wouldn't have it. She completely shot us down and told us to leave. We want to start a petition and show up with as many people as we can on our side to get her to change her mind."

"Well, you know I'm with ya, man!" Chris was all too thrilled.

"Thank you, Christopher."

"I'm with you, as well," Michelle answered.

"Me too," Nicholas was next.

"I cannot believe April would stand by such a thing. She knows that _her_ child was killed. How could she do such a thing? We may not have beating hearts, but they are still there. What a monster!" Summer sounded very upset about the whole situation and I was questioning myself about April's long lost child. Apparently, this child had been killed, so why was she so quick to jump on the ball of killing ours?

"I do not understand it either, Summer, but we will do whatever we can in our power to make this stop. I cannot allow my new son to be killed or to go through that type of mental and physical torture."

"So, we take that as a 'yes' for all of you?" My father asked. It was the first thing I'd heard him say since we had gotten here.

"Yes." They all answered in unison.

"Thank you." I bowed my head.

"Victoria will contact you when we are in need of your services. Thank you again, my friends."

We walked out of the house and the same events happened for the rest of the day. I had hoped Xavier would be okay, but I knew that April would at least give us the time until we got back from our "errands".

We traveled to at least 30 homes, some of them said yes, little of them said no, and we decided that would be enough for the day.

"I can't believe how many of them are behind us!" I was completely ecstatic about how the day had gone and I was more than appreciative of Dante and his idea.

"Would you like to stay with us tonight, Damien?"

"That would be great, thanks Dante."

We dropped my father off at the house and I decided to stay with him while Dante picked up Xavier.

We took our seats in the same places we had when my father last visited. It felt different now, more like I had known him my whole life, and that was the best feeling in the world.

"You don't know your own strength, do you, Vic?" He finally asked, crossing his legs.

"I guess I don't, dad. I mean, I've tried to do things but I just don't know where to start, you know?"

"I understand. I was the same way when I first turned."

This brought a question into my mind. I hadn't thought of it until this very moment.

"Dad, weren't you nineteen when you turned into a darkling?"

"Yes."

"Then….how did you age? I mean, you're not physically nineteen anymore."

"Very true, and I was wondering when you were going to ask that."

"Well….?"

"I used my mind to tell myself to age, Vic. Once I left you and your mother, I wanted to die. I didn't want to stay the same age for the rest of eternity. I wanted to age, and I wanted to die."

"So, if we wish hard enough for ourselves to die….it'll happen?"

"Yes. Anything is possible with our minds, Vic. That is something you have to understand."

"So, if I didn't want to be a vampire anymore, I could just wish that I wasn't anymore?"

"Now, that's something a little more complicated. You see, Dante's venom runs through your veins now. You cannot stop that type of thing. Just as if you were to have a disease, you cannot wish yourself out of that disease."

"Hmm, I see. That's pretty weird."

"Yeah, I know. But, that's why I'm here to help you. I wanted to make everything better between us so that I could help you. I didn't want you going at this by yourself, and that's why I was so upset when we left on the terms that we did."

"Well, I'm sorry, dad, and I want your help. Dante's tried to explain some things to me, but it just isn't the same with someone who isn't going through the same thing that you are."

"Understandable, kid. Well, I'm here now, so don't worry, we'll get this all sorted out. It looks to me like things are going to start going to a little better, now."

"Yeah, I hope it stays like this."

Just then, Dante busted through the front door holding Xavier in his arms.

"Victoria! She bit him! She bit him!"


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10: It All Ends Today

"Oh my God! Dante, put him down!" I ran over, grabbing Xavier from Dante's arms. My father watched as I placed him on the couch, gasping loudly.

"Who bit him?! Dante, who bit him?!" I shook him by his shirt.

"Nikki bit him, Victoria. It was Nikki." He dropped his head and shook it from side to side slowly.

"What do we do?!" I checked his pulse. Nothing. I couldn't feel or hear his beating heart anymore. I was more than terrified to search the side of his neck.

There were no holes on the side of his neck; no blood.

"Dante! There aren't any holes or blood here! Are you sure she bit him?! Are you sure?!" I shook him again.

"I'm positive! He was just bleeding, Victoria! He was lying outside, bleeding! I saw it with my very eyes!" Dante ran over to him, checking the side of his neck. The most perplexed emotion ran across his face as he saw exactly what I was talking about.

My father walked briskly across the living room to see for himself, and he, as well, saw nothing.

"What's wrong with him?! He's not even breathing, Dante! What did she do to him?! I don't understand!"

"I don't know, but you must calm down! We will figure out what this is, just calm down!"

My father then raised his head to look at me very slowly. My forehead creased as I looked at him, confused.

"It cannot be," he whispered.

"What, dad, what are you talking about?!"

"He, too, must be a darkling, kid."

"What?! But, that's not possible, dad, he's only seven years old!"

"Victoria, even when you were younger, you held powers. Not strong powers, but they were there. He must come from a stronger generation. It is not far-fetched, at all. It is very possible."

"There's no way! How….how could that happen? I thought they had to be born within the family?! I thought it was genetics?!"

"I thought so, too, but maybe it isn't. Maybe this is our specie's way of making sure we survive throughout the years. Before Xavier, it was just you and I, Vic."

"I just don't understand! This is crazy! So, you're saying that he's a darkling, just like us, and now he's been turned into a vampire….just like me?! That's insane, dad!"

"It could be possible," Dante knelt down beside Xavier, taking his small hand into his own. He looked up at me with hope in his eyes.

"It's just crazy. How could this happen? How could I find the only other darkling in existence? It's just crazy, you guys! Do you realize how crazy this is?!"

"I know; it is pretty insane. But, then again, maybe the fact that he was a darkling was what saved him in the first place. Vampires have sort of a sixth sense at telling who one of their species is and who isn't."

"I just can't believe this. Most of all, I can't believe how Nikki could bite him. I thought she loved him? I thought she was stronger than this?"

"I thought so too. It took me by surprise, that's for sure." Dante kissed Xavier's forehead and ran his hand down his face.

I knelt beside him, taking his other hand. I'd hoped he would get well soon. I just couldn't believe all of this was happening. _How_ could this happen?

"We've got to do something about all of this madness." Dante rose up now, letting Xavier's hand fall limp to his side.

"I know. This can't go on any longer. It's making me go insane. I can't stand it."

"Well, if you two kids are supposed to be the new rulers, shouldn't they listen to you?" My dad had a good point. They kept talking about Dante and me becoming the new king and queen or whatnot of the vampire world. They 

needed us to reign, and if they really wanted that; things would need to go our way.

"I want to stay next to Xavier for now. Dante, call everyone and tell them to come over here, please."

His face turned puzzled for a moment and then he nodded, and left the room.

"I hope he'll be okay," I said as I wiped the back of my hand across his forehead. I'd hoped Xavier would be strong enough to deal with everything that came with becoming a hybrid. I knew I still had no clue, and I hoped that my father would know something about what I had become.

"He will be just fine. I can feel it." My dad walked over, sitting on the floor beside me, eyes glued on Xavier's pale face.

He looked different; he was white and I could start to see the blue veins moving their way across his small face. I felt terrible. I promised I would protect him, and the day I am trying to, he gets bitten by his best friend.

It was the ultimate betrayal and I almost hated Nikki for what she had down to him. I wondered what he would feel like when he woke up; I wondered if he would feel the intense thirst as I did, or if he would be able to push it aside more easily.

I stared into my new child's face and my future started to dim in my mind. I had told myself I would die to keep him safe, yet I trusted someone who would end up hurting him.

For some reason, during this time, I felt the need to kill April. I knew that she had something to do with all of this. I just didn't understand why.

Why had she acted like my friend? Why was she so nice in the beginning and so mean toward the end? She promised to be my bridesmaid-someone I could trust, and yet she has betrayed me time and time again.

"Why couldn't I tell he was a darkling?" I finally asked my father.

"You couldn't feel anything when you held him?"

"You mean like the extreme feeling to be beside him and to protect him?"

"Yes. It could feel as though you needed him or else you would die."

"That's exactly how I've felt since the moment I heard his voice."

"We have that type of effect on people." He smiled slyly.

"I've gotten everyone I could to answer the phone, my love. They will be arriving momentarily." Dante re-entered the room and I smiled at him.

"Thanks, Dante. I figure, if we're going to do this, we need as many people on our side as can possibly get."

"I agree. It would be best for everyone to see what they have done, and what we have tried to avoid happening. I hate this whole situation and I do not understand April's reasoning behind anything at all. I thought their family was one that still held feelings for other people's lives. I guess I was wrong."

"I know! I don't understand her! And I don't understand Nikki, either. How could she do this to her best friend?"

"Maybe she just lost control," My dad said. He raised his shoulders and dropped them as I looked at him perplexed.

"But, I thought she was stronger than that! She's been playing with Xavier for at least a week now! I've never seen her eyes go red, and I've never seen her act like she was going to bite him; never."

"Well, I don't know, Vic, but you'll get your answers soon, don't worry, kid."

I looked down at Xavier again and turned my head slightly to get a good look at his face. _Had he grown?_ He looked slightly larger than I'd remembered, but maybe I was just freaking out. Yes, I was just freaking out.

I heard a large knock on the door and turned my head to see who it was.

"Hello, Allison, Michelle. Good to see you again. Come in. Victoria and her father are sitting in the living room with Xavier."

"Thanks, Dante; it's good to see you again, as well."

They walked in strode over to where I was sitting with Xavier.

"What have they done to this poor child?" I could hear the worry in Allison's voice and Michelle just shook her head, and sat down on the couch next to us.

"Nikki did this? I can't imagine such a sweet child would _bite_ her best friend. I thought she had more control than this?" Allison kept talking, not caring if anyone was listening, although I was. I agreed completely and in fact, I had just asked the same thing not ten minutes earlier.

"We're going to find that out, don't worry." My dad answered her. He knew I didn't feel like talking, and I had told him in my mind to keep the guests busy while I watched over my new son.

Another knock came to the door and Nicholas, Christopher, Summer, and Melissa all stepped in. The couples sat, hand-in-hand, and all shook their heads when they looked at Xavier. I heard them lightly whispering to each other, hearing what they were saying.

"This is ridiculous." I heard one voice say.

"How could this happen?" A worried woman asked.

"I can't believe such a sweet girl would do this." Another woman said.

I wanted to know why Nikki would do this, but I knew it would have to wait until Xavier was well. I wondered if he was mad at her, I wondered if he hated her and if he would ever forgive her.

"We must still go through with the petition," Summer said.

"I agree," Dante whispered. "This is madness. I thought killing the humans was supposed to bring us peace, yet it has only torn us apart worse."

I turned to see Michelle and Allison nodding in unison to Dante's statement.

More people arrived and a few of them left, deciding they wanted nothing to do with the over-throwing of their government; although Dante and I were next in line for reigning, anyway.

By the start of the morning, every room in the large house was full of vampires; and the best part of all was that every one of them agreed with us and wanted to stand by our sides.

"Will everyone please come to the living room? If you could crowd in for just a moment, we can plan our attack." Dante shouted over everyone, although he didn't need to shout, we all would have heard him just fine.

Everyone started to crowd around the living room, squeezing in between each other, trying to get a good look at what was going on.

"I believe that there is something seriously wrong with this situation; do you all agree with me?" I watched as they all nodded their heads, agreeing with him. "I do not understand the events of today, but what I do know is that I will not stand for it any longer.

"For years, we have been told what to do; how to act, and I say that now is the time for change.

"Victoria and I plan to make things better; to make things _safer_ for the people that need it most. Everyone should have a voice in this world, and we will make sure that you have yours."

It sounded like he was making a political speech, yet everyone in the room nodded their heads to his voice. I hadn't realized how hard the vampires really had it all of these years. They had rules to follow, guidelines to live by, and if they didn't abide by these; they were killed.

I felt terribly depressed as this was all going on. I knew that my new son could die, I knew that I may very well have to kill one of the women that had become my friend, and I knew that some of my new friends may be killed tomorrow, as well.

But hope filled my mind, too. I looked around the room of vampires that stood before me and a smile lit my face. They all wanted change and Dante and I were the ones who were going to give it to them; no matter what the cost.

I could see the sadness and agony on all of their faces and I felt their pain. I hadn't known what it was like to be a vampire, until now, but I could tell that it wasn't a life many people wanted to live.

Most everyone didn't have the choice to be changed or not, and I was considered one of the lucky ones. No, I couldn't wish myself out of this new life with my mind, but I could make the best of it, now, and I knew I would do just that.

I found the confidence in myself to believe that I could be a great queen to these people. I would embrace the life I had been given and I would take advantage of every power I had in my possession.

"We leave when Xavier is well. No later; no earlier. Is that clear, everyone?"

They all nodded once more and Dante dismissed them.

He walked back over to where I sat and put his arm around me, pulling me close.

"He'll wake up in a few moments." My dad assumed.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11: Conspiracy

Everyone stood around, watching Xavier as he slowly opened his eyes. They widened as he realized how many people were in the room, and he began to cry right away.

I sighed loudly and picked him up into my arms, cradling him.

"It'll be okay, don't worry. Everyone is here to help you, sweetie."

He raised his little head up and looked into my eyes, his filled with tears.

"Are you sure, Vikki?" He plead with his sparkling eyes.

"Yes, Xavier. You're fine now; everything is alright."

Dante placed his arm on mine and rested his chin on my shoulder, looking at Xavier.

"Everything's going to be fine, bud. We're going to get this all sorted out."

"Where's Nikki? I wanna play with Nikki!" He started kicking in my arms and I tried to hold him down.

"Sweetie, we're going to see Nikki soon." I looked up at Dante, confusion written all over my face. He shook his head slowly and the same look crossed his face.

"What is going on?" He whispered.

I had no clue. Why would he want to see Nikki when she knowingly bit him? Why would he want to see her when she caused him so much pain? Why?

"We should get going if he's okay," My dad stood up.

"Are you alright to walk, Xavier?" I asked, worry filling my eyes. I didn't understand how he could feel so well after being bitten by a vampire-even if he _was_ a darkling. Even I was sore the day after it happened.

"I feel great, Vikki!" He got out of my arms and started dancing around.

I smiled and stood up. I looked over to Dante who nodded his head, first to me, and then to everyone else who waited.

"Let's go, everyone." He said.

We all started to walk out of the house, some hand-in-hand, some alone until we reached the walkway in front of the house.

"We'll meet you all there." Dante lightly shouted.

We appeared in front of the same familiar mansion, in the bright light of the sun. I could see no one around me, but I could concentrate on all of their energy and know where they were.

Everyone was chattering amongst themselves and Dante grabbed my hand from thin air and held it all the way up the stairs. I made sure I was next to Xavier the whole time he asked where I was and the whole time he was scared for what was going to happen.

I made myself visible; I don't know how, but I did. I still needed Dante to transport me, considering I wasn't a _full_ vampire.

I bent down to look into Xavier's face.

"Am I gonna play with Nikki now?!" His eyes lit up with such intensity it reminded me of the first time I had seen Dante.

"In a minute, sweetie, but first we have to ask Nikki some questions, okay?"

"But why? Nikki's my friend! Don't be mean to her!"

"Oh, no, we're not going to be mean, Xavier, we're going to be nice, okay?" I flashed a smile.

"Okay…" His little voice trailed off and he quickly looked toward the front door.

Dante knocked loudly and I looked behind me to see about three hundred vampires in my sight. No, they weren't visible, but I could see their energy through my new eyes.

I promptly learned more new and exciting thing about my obtained powers. For instance, I was now hearing everyone's thoughts-even Dante's.

But, I didn't get scared; everything I had ever believed he would think about me, was true. He was constantly saying how much he loved me and how much I really meant to him. Every time he's looked into my eyes, he's said the most wonderful things that have just made me feel even more deeply in love with him.

I looked forward again and the door slowly creaked open. I saw one bright blue eye peeking at us through the small slit.

"Nikki!" Xavier yelled.

"Go away," her voice sounded louder and deeper-almost not like her. It scared me and I flinched away at the sound of it.

"Nikki, what's wrong?" Dante tried to move inside of the door but the small girl just slammed it in his face, making him look over at me and shrug.

"What's wrong with her? Was that…._Nikki_?" I asked.

"Nikki! Where'd Nikki go?! I want Nikki!" Xavier started stomping where he stood, flailing his little fists through the air.

"Calm down, bud, we'll see her in a minute." Dante grabbed his small shoulders and held him still for a moment.

Xavier started whimpering, his tiny bottom lip puckering out slightly, making my heart break right where I stood. Bright tears fell from his green eyes, making them red with sadness.

I bent down, picking him up into my arms. I hated when he was sad. I'd only seen it a few times, but I felt as though I had been the one who had given birth to this perfect child, and I felt like I was his rightful mother. Maybe I was wrong, but he was mine now, and I would protect him and find out what the hell was wrong with Nikki.

"I'm going in, take Xavier." I said, handing him to Dante.

"Victoria, I have to go in with you," _please don't leave,_ he thought.

"Okay, give Xavier to Melissa. She doesn't mind holding him."

I looked behind to see Melissa and her bright smile, arms already outspread, searching for Xavier. Dante walked over to her, whispered something, hugged him, and walked back to my side.

"Let's go in." He nodded at me.

I nodded back and I pushed the door down with one small gust of wind. Dante looked at me, dumbfounded, and I smiled.

My father came walking up quickly from the back of the crowd, pushing through everyone and ending up by my side.

"I'm goin' in with ya, kid." He nodded back.

We walked through the hole where the large doors used to be, and looked around, cautiously.

I walked to the living room, finding no one, growling a little, and moving on. We hiked to the next room-the large room where all the meetings were held, and found them, as they always were-sitting in a large row across the table.

"What is wrong with Nikki?! Do you know she bit Xavier?!" I marched in angrily, fists hung at my sides, death written across my face.

"Oh, Victoria, Dante, how are you, my loves?"

"We want answers and we want them now, April. You can't hide anymore, out with it!" Dante was right next to me, the same expression I had written across his face. He stood very tall and very sure of himself, which was extremely attractive.

"What makes you think you _deserve_ answers, Dante?" She turned her head sideways. The look on her face made me feel sick to my stomach. She didn't care about us, and she didn't care about Xavier or Nikki, and that hurt me the most. She lied to us, and she lied to the people who cared for her most.

"We haven't done _one_ thing to you, and look at what you have done!" I shouted, extending my arms out.

"Oh, calm down, Victoria. You're always making such a fuss over nothing." She smirked.

"I will kill you now, I swear I will. Don't tempt me, April." I gritted my teeth at her, growling.

Dante grabbed me by the shoulders, telling me to calm down in his mind. I just couldn't stay calm, I just couldn't! Who did she think she was!

"You're just like Vincent." She laughed.

"What are you talking about?!"

"You want peace, but you are not powerful enough to obtain it, are you, my dear?"

"What do you mean?! Of course I'm powerful enough! And plus, Vincent hated us, he only wanted everything for himself!"

"That is what I made you think." She laughed louder.

I shot glances to the men beside her, who all sat lifeless, blank expressions on all of their faces. I was completely confused and I didn't know what to make of anything right now.

I tried to search her mind, closing my eyes, but found a block around her thoughts. It was a barrier I was trying to climb over, but had no success.

"Quit trying to read my mind, Victoria. It won't work."

"Then tell me what you're doing!" I was about to pounce on her. I was surprised my father wasn't trying to hold me back, but I looked at him and the same confused and angry look was on his face.

"I don't think you can handle what I have to tell you. And, I really don't feel like killing you just yet."

"You couldn't kill me if you tried!" I yelled, feeling the anger boil in my stomach and making my mouth taste like acid.

"_I_ am the only queen in this room. You are a mere child compared to my capabilities."

"Listen, I never _asked_ to be queen or whatever, April, so just shut up! I don't care about any of it! I care about the children you are corrupting with your warped views! What have you done to Nikki?!"

"Nikki wanted Xavier to be hers. She bit him on her own. I had nothing to do with it." She perked her nose up, giving me a look of high class. I wanted to rip her throat out at the very second.

There was no way Nikki would do such a thing on her own. April was behind it, and I knew it. Just look at the way she was acting!

"Nikki would never do that, even if she wanted Xavier all to herself. She cares way too much for him!"

"Victoria, you could never understand. You don't know what I've been through! I just want to be loved again!" She pushed her chair back a little, raising up just a tiny bit.

"April, just tell me what you did! I thought we were friends! What have you done?!"

"I made her bite him! Okay?! I made her do it! Get over it!" She stood up now, a childish tone making its way into her voice.

"How could you do such a thing?! You stole his childhood! How could you be so heartless, April?!"

"Listen, you little bitch," her tone turned sour and I backed away an inch. "I will do whatever I can in my power to have order in this species! And then you come and take that all away!"

"I haven't taken anything away from you! I found a child and I wanted to save him, big deal, April. _You're_ the one who need to get over it. Face it, if you couldn't control people's minds, you would have no one!"

She moved toward me slowly and Dante moved himself in front of me, blocking my view. I tried to see around him and found a hold between his arm and his torso and I peeked through.

"_Move_, Dante." She ordered.

"No, April. I'm done being pushed around by you. All of us are. We are sick of you and all of your rules. This new world was supposed to be wonderful and _better_ for us without humans, but you have ruined everything!"

"You know nothing, Dante!"

"Why did you make me kill Vincent?! Why would you do that?"

"You didn't kill him, I did. Remember?" She stopped a few feet in front of Dante.

"Why did you make me angry with him? Why did you control him? How could you do that?!"

"Vincent was a mere pawn, Dante. He was nothing and he knew he was nothing. He had no one left. He was the easiest to let go; can't you see that?" She turned her head sideways and shot me a look. My father quickly moved behind me, sandwiching my body between him and Dante.

"Don't worry, kid, I got your back."

_Thanks, dad, _I thought.

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. April _controlled_ Vincent. She made him do the nasty things he did. How could she do such a thing?

"I can't believe this," Dante whispered.

"I told you you wouldn't be able to handle the truth. You just can't handle the fact that your cousin was killed, for no reason, can you? You thought he was dying because he was evil, when in fact, he wanted the opposite. Quite funny, I think." She laughed.

_Cousin?!_ Vincent was Dante's _cousin?!_ When in the hell did this happen?! And what the hell was going on?!

Where was Nikki? When was everyone else going to come in? Why was all of this happening?! Is this all just a big plan?


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12: Battle of a Lifetime

I squeezed from the sandwich I was in created by my father and Dante and ran out the door, never looking back. I could hear Dante screaming in his mind for me to come back, but I just wanted to make it outside.

I wanted to make sure Xavier was safe and I wanted to make sure he would be safe while this fight ensued.

"Victoria! Come back here! Why are you running from your fights?!" April must have pushed through Dante and my dad and was now chasing me out the hole I made for the front door.

I turned around to face her when I reached the light outside and she stopped dead. Her face turned blank as she stared at the hundreds of vampires that stood outside of her mansion.

"What….what are you all doing here?!" She shouted.

"They're here to protect their lives and to overthrow _you_, April."

"How could you all betray me like this?! You will pay for all that you have done, Victoria!"

"I did nothing. Believe me, these people hated you before I was even born," I extended my arm behind me to gesture toward them.

"You made this happen! You made them hate me!"

"I didn't have to do anything. You did it all yourself."

I saw the fierce anger growing in her and I could feel the energy coming from her body even as I stood almost ten feet away. I didn't have time to think why Dante and my father weren't running out of the house after me, but I had time to notice April's hair starting to blow in the nonexistent wind.

She raised her head up toward the sky and closed her eyes, a bright smile filling her face. She started saying words I didn't understand. Latin, I'd imagine.

I had no clue what she was doing until I felt myself being raised off of the ground. I looked around dumbfounded as I was lifted at least twenty feet into the air.

I had no time to react before I was thrown across the courtyard and into one of the large trees that lined the walkway.

I hit with a loud thud, but surprisingly didn't feel a thing. My skin was completely in destructible.

I let a sideways smirk cross my face and decided it was time for my own magic skills.

I raised five trees from the earth, making them hover for a split second before I smashed them all in April's direction. I heard gasps coming from our audience, yet no one stepped in to help. I'd imagine they thought I could handle myself.

I watched the trees I had just thrown in her face start to raise back off and fall to the ground, revealing April; her hair was slightly knotted, her face twisted into a snarl.

"You cannot defeat me, Victoria! Face it, it's over!"

"Never!" I shouted back.

I stared in shock as I saw Nikki appear behind April, an evil little smile on her face. She squinted her eyes at me and took April's arm as though they were the best of friends.

I couldn't understand what I was seeing. And I believed no one else could, either. They all stared in awe as I did at the sight and I heard large inhales of air coming from every direction.

"Let her go!" I screamed, ripping another tree from the earth.

"If you want to kill me, you have to kill Nikki, as well!" She laughed.

"Let. Her. Go." I stated. I used all of the power in my mind to disconnect the bind April was holding on her. I saw a chain wrapped around Nikki's body and I tried to pry it off with all of my force.

One-by-one I broke the links to the invisible chain and watched April's face turn to pure hell.

"Give her back!" Nikki came running over to me and was once again stopped dead by the chain.

I growled at April. I placed myself in a crouching position, ready to make my attack again.

I threw the tree down, knowing I couldn't possibly use it with Nikki that close to my direction of attack.

I ran as fast as I could toward April, feeling myself start to move as a gazelle would. I pounced on her, knocking her to the ground.

"Get off of me!" She grabbed my hair, pulling a large chunk of it out of my scalp, and I felt a light stream of blood start to trickle from the open wound. I scratched at her face, breaking her skin slightly.

"Just give up, April! You're not strong enough to beat me!"

"Damnit if I am!" She tried to pull my head down to her face, leaving my neck open for feasting.

I pulled against her with all of my might, concentrating on all of the veins in her body. I tried to break them, I tried to crush every major artery in her body, but to no avail, she held too strong of a guard on them.

I could feel bones start to crush in my body and I screamed loudly, trying to form my own barrier against her controlling mind.

"See, you know nothing! You are not even strong enough to protect your own body!"

I grabbed her head, smashing it down into the stone walkway, hearing a slight crack. I lifted her up by her hair, concentrating on her mind as I stood up and punched her in her face, her eye swelling slightly.

"April! What are you doing?!" I looked over her shoulder and saw my father and Dante running out of the mansion and over to where I held her.

I concentrated on her eyes now and I tried to squeeze them as hard as I could with my mind. I saw them start to change shape-a more oval shape and I knew I was winning. I was going to rip her eyes out of her head if I had to!

"This is stupid! What are you doing?!" My father shouted. They stood slightly far away, but I could feel a force start to pull my arms off of her head. I could feel invisible fingers starting to pry my fingers from her hair.

I held against them the most I could and I won, keeping my grip on her.

She closed her eyes again and lifted her head up. She whispered another word in Latin and I looked around to see what was happening.

Before I knew it, everyone was surrounding me. All of them had sinful expressions and all of their fists were clenched. I knew she had them. She was controlling all of their moves; all except my father.

I looked around worried as I watched the love of my life approaching me, telling me he was going to kill me. Tears started to welt in my eyes and I almost gave up my hold on her.

"Just give up, Victoria. You don't want to have to kill your poor little Dante, do you?" She gave me a sarcastic-pleading look, which just made me angrier.

Tears ran down my cheeks as I concentrated on every single organ; every single vein; every single nerve in her body. I started crushing her organs, one-by-one, hearing her scream out in pain. To my surprise, every time I crushed one, it healed itself.

I became quite frustrated and decided to go to the central system-her brain. I concentrated my hardest on it, trying to compress it with all of my strength.

"Ahh! Let go! I can't take it!" She screamed at the top of her lungs, hurting my eardrums.

"Let them go!" I shouted right back.

"Okay! Just let go! Please!"

I squeezed a little more, getting past her barrier as she let her guard down.

Everything in April's life flashed before my eyes, making me drop to my knees. Rape, torture, abuse, lies, deceit.

I couldn't believe it. She wasn't lying. She had held such a terrible life of pain and misery.

I saw her love-Vincent, in her mind. He slept with another woman, he lied to her, and he deceived her. I saw her father raping her when she was a child, I saw her getting bitten by vampires, and I saw her being jumped in a dark alley. I saw her sadness in her mind. I saw her want to be loved; her want to be accepted.

I pressed my hands to my face, trying to get her images out of my head. I cried loudly as she looked down on me. I heard everyone start to whisper, everyone start to ask questions.

I looked up at her, teary-eyed. "I had no idea." I whispered.

Dante ran over, cradling me in his arms. Nikki ran over shortly after, grabbing me from behind and hugging me tightly.

I could feel my broken bones, although I didn't care too much about them right now. One of my ribs, one of my arms, and one of my fingers-shattered.

Right now, all I could think of what April's past. All I could see was her agony, all I could feel was her anger. I now understood everything.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13: Agony of a Once Friend

"Victoria! Are you okay?! Victoria?!" I opened my eyes and saw Dante's face in mine and felt him holding me.

"I….I can't believe it…." I whispered.

"What?!"

"She can't handle what I have shown her. It isn't a surprise. I told you that you couldn't deal with the truth of my situation." She perked her nose up again, crossing her arms.

I started to feel the pain from my broken bones and tried to curl myself into a ball. Dante picked me up lightly and I winced under the slight pressure of his arm against my broken rib.

"April! What did you do to her?!" Dante shouted.

"One of her ribs is broken, one of her arms, and one of her fingers, as well." My father walked over, looking down at me in Dante's arms.

"She got what she deserved Hmph, she could never be more powerful than I am. She's wasting her time." She walked back toward the house.

At this point, I didn't give a crap about my wounds or broken bones. I didn't care about her past or anything that had to do with her. I wanted to _kill_ her. I wanted to get it over with.

I jumped out of Dante's arms, focusing on my bones. I mended them, one by one with my mind, invisible sutures keeping them together. I smiled at her back as she walked away, unaware that I waited behind her.

_Victoria, I know that she's wrong, but please, you're going to get yourself killed. Come on, kid, calm down,_ my father thought.

_Sorry dad, this time, I'm not going to back down and give up. I've done it one too many times in my life,_ I thought back.

"Victoria, please don't." Dante whispered.

I lightly pushed him out of the way and he followed. I could feel my crowd of friends growing closer around me and following, as well.

"Hey! April!" I shouted. I stood with my hands on my hips and creased my forehead in anger.

"Back for more, little girl?" She asked.

"I don't care if I die fighting for something I believe it. As long as you die with me, I'm fine with it."

"Vikki! Please don't Vikki! Please!" I looked down to see Xavier at my side, pulling at my shirt. I wanted to let go of this and I just wanted to be happy; but I could tell that April just wasn't about to let that happen.

"Xavier, go back to Melissa. I'll be fine, I promise." I smiled down to him.

I watched as his little eyes filled with tears again and I closed my eyes, trying to keep the smile on my face. I needed him to understand that I had to do this, but how would I explain such a thing to a child? I was utterly confused, but I knew I was doing the right thing; not only for his future, but for the future of all of the vampires.

"You just won't give up, will you?" April laughed.

"I'll fight with you, Vikki!" I heard Nikki's small voice next to me now and I looked at her, smiling brightly.

I looked behind me for a split second and watched as, one by one, my friends nodded their heads.

I hated what I was about to do, but I knew I had to do it to survive and to beat April.

I concentrated on all of their minds at once, holding them in place. I gave them all strict commands to follow and made them all nod, once again.

I watched them start to move forward behind me, eyes glued on April's face.

"You cannot beat me in my own game, Victoria!" She screamed.

Just then, five dark figures made their way out of the house and into the courtyard, surrounding April. I had forgotten about the rest of the elders, and apparently, she had also.

They all snarled in my direction at once and I screamed, _Fight!_ In my head.

At once, all of my friends ran at the elders and the elders ran at my friends. They collided in a mass of bodies. I heard screams, rips, and cracks. I then made my way through them, watching venom squirt from mouths, seeing skin being ripped apart.

I found my prey. I closed my eyes again and looked to the heavens. _I need your help, mom. Please help me._

Just then, I felt myself growing stronger. I felt myself growing in power. I felt my eyes flicker as I looked for April, focusing on her face.

An expression of terror came across her face as she stared at me. I walked slowly past everyone, feeling wind blowing around everywhere. I saw the leaves bustle hastily. The trees started to bend. The house started to shake.

Everyone stopped what they were doing to look at me as I strode at a steady pace toward what I wanted.

"You will die, today." I growled. My voice sounded so low it almost scared me, but I stalked forward.

I felt rain drops start to pour from the sky and everyone looked up, feeling it smack against their skin. My hair dripped with the wetness and I could feel my skin boiling, even though the rain was cold.

_Victoria, I love you._ Dante thought.

I closed my eyes for a moment, soaking in his words. This was all for him. This was all for Xavier and Nikki and my father. This was for our future, even if I wasn't present in it.

I picked all of the trees up, I smashed all of the windows and gathered their glass, and I stopped all of the rain from falling.

"Okay, okay! Victoria, we can talk about this! Please! We can talk!" April was trying to reason with me, although all I could see was red in my eyes. I saw her dying, I saw her in agony, and I saw light.

I first threw all of the trees at her, as I had before, crushing her under their weight. She screamed in pain but healed her wounds just as quickly.

She stood back up, throwing the trees off of her and staring deathly into my eyes.

I looked to the glass, signaling the pieces, one at a time, to cut her. I cut her across the face, across her chest, down her legs, up her arms. She cried out but I didn't stop. I could feel my father trying to control my mind, trying to make me calm, but it was too late for that.

I watched her mangled body as she stood there, trying to heal her wounds. I focused on them, ripping them open further as she screamed again. I laughed and looked to the sky, making the rain fall again. As I laughed louder, the thunder grew louder, the rain fell harder, and the sky grew darker.

"Stop!" She shouted.

"You're weaker than me!" I shrieked.

"Okay! You're stronger than me, just please stop! I can't take it anymore! I'm ripping apart!"

I looked at her body once again, seeing the clear liquid flow out of her large wounds. Her face yelled agony and the warmth in my heart started to flow back. I wanted to kill her, but she was right; I wasn't strong enough.

I ripped her wounds once more, pulling them apart further, just so that she would get my message.

"Okay!" She screamed and looked up to the sky.

I let my guard down just a bit to test her. I saw if she would try to retaliate; but she didn't. She fell to her knees, bringing her cut arms to her face and crying out.

_I mutilated her quite well,_ I thought. My father nodded.

"Do you give up, then?!" I shouted.

"Yes…" she whispered.

I walked toward her slowly, crossing my arms. The rain slowed and the thunder stopped as I calmed myself. The sky even cleared up a little, the sun peaking through the grey clouds.

I finally reached her and looked down on the top of her head as she curled herself into a ball on the stone ground. I heard her sob lightly and I laughed under my breath.

"You can't beat me." I finally said.

She looked up slowly, her eyes filled with dark tears. I would have thought her eyes were bleeding, if I had just glanced. Her tears were a dark crimson, as were her sparkling eyes. I could tell she was defeated from the sorrowful look on her face.

"I'm done." She said.

I nodded and helped her up, being careful not to squeeze her wounds. She stood next to me, silent for awhile and Dante walked over, hugging me tightly.

_Don't ever scare me like that again,_ he thought.

I kissed his cheek and a tear ran down his face.

"I love you," I mouthed.

"I love you, too."


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14: Departure of the Old Queen

"You've got some nerve, Victoria." April said as she stared at me and slowly walked into the house. I watched her as she concentrated on her wounds, healing them slowly.

I almost wanted to tear them apart again, but told myself to calm down.

"I have some nerve? What do you think you're doing?" I followed after her. It seemed as though we were calm towards each other, but I knew that nothing would ever be the same. I made a note to myself to receive my wedding dress from her closet before we left, seeing as I would never be married in her home.

She turned around quickly to face me and her expression twisted with anger.

"You have no idea, do you?! You have no idea what I have gone through!"

"Actually, I do, April. Are you forgetting I saw all of your memories? I understand you've had a hard life, but making everyone else suffer isn't going to make anything better for yourself. You have to _wait_ for people to fall in love with you; you can't go around controlling their minds to get what you want!"

"You don't understand! Even when I controlled Vincent, he still wanted _you_. Of all people! He wanted you!" She crossed her arms, lowering her head.

"I never made him love me! I didn't even know him! April, you can't go around blaming everyone else for your problems. You have to do something about them yourself. You can be happy if you want to be. This has nothing to do with me." I bend forward a little, pointing a finger at myself. I wished she could just open her mind for a moment instead of pushing everyone away. I wanted to be a friend, but how could I when she was acting so stupid?!

"Vincent never loved me." She lowered her head even further and another dark tear fell from her eyes.

"Vincent loved you. He was just confused, as you have seen." Dante walked up to her slowly, placing a hand on her shoulder.

She looked up at him with her twinkling eyes and she reached her head up to kiss him.

He backed away and I felt my father holding me back.

"What the hell do you think you're doing, April?! You really want to die, don't you?!" I yelled while being constrained by my father.

"April, I am not Vincent, nor will I ever be him. Why can't you just see that people will love you if you are kind and considerate? Victoria trusted you. You were her maid of honor, for god sake, and you betray her over and over again." He sounded calm, but I could hear in his mind his screams of anger.

My dad loosened his grip on my arms and I told him I was calm. But seriously, who the hell did she think she was? _She needs a psychiatrist,_ I whispered in my mind.

_Damn right she does,_ my dad said back.

"Listen, April. I was your friend and I loved you, but in these past few days, you have hurt me much too deeply to ever forgive you. I hate to say it, but I kind of wish I would have killed you." I said.

"I kind of wish you had, too."

Oh, so that's the game she wants to play; the guilt game. Well, that's fine, because if she wants death, I will simply hand it to her.

Dante walked back over to my side, taking my hand. I looked up at him with resentment written all over my face. He made his expression as calm as possible and closed his eyes.

"Please give me the strength." I whispered, looking up at the ceiling.

"Victoria, I want you to take Nikki." She said, staring at me. I looked down to her and wrinkled my forehead, completely confused.

"And why's that?" I asked.

"I need to get away for awhile. I see that I have caused much pain and confusion here. I want you to take over now. I see that you and Dante are more than capable of dealing with our species, now. I want you to train the new ones and to see after the old ones. I especially want you to take care of 

the children. Xavier was much too young to be changed, and I am sorry for that. I do not know what I was thinking in that decision."

"I don't know what you were thinking, either, but he's just fine, and he will be fine. I really hope that you figure everything out, April, because I don't want to have to kill you next time."

She nodded and walked up stairs quickly, moving like a ballerina. I couldn't help but watch her and all of her beauty, feeling a bit jealous, and then seeing the flashes of her memories in my eyes. Sure, I felt bad, but it gave her no right to do what she did to all of us.

"I can't believe her." I whispered to Dante.

"I know. But it'll be okay, at least she understands what she has done and she wants to take the time to fix it."

"It can never be fixed, Dante. Xavier is forever a child now. He will never grow up to look like you and he will never have the capabilities an adult would."

"I know, I know," he said as he looked down, "At least he has Nikki to share in his eternal childhood, though. She loves him more than life itself. Even I can feel that." He smiled.

I smiled back. I knew he was right, but I still felt like it wasn't the right time to change him. Oh well, it could never be taken back; but that was the thing that made me the most angry.

We stood downstairs for awhile, whispering lightly to each other when April finally made her way down the stairs. She held a large suitcase in both hands and skipped along the staircase hastily.

She reached the bottom stair and dropped her bags to the ground with a large thud. Before we knew it, the other five elders showed up at her sides; the same lifeless expressions on their faces.

"We will be leaving now. Do whatever you please with this mansion. Just don't contact me-ever." She looked fiercely into my eyes and I smiled back at her.

"Have a good trip, guys." I said, looking at all of them. I knew the men couldn't understand a word I was saying, seeing as they were being controlled at the moment, but I thought I'd be polite, anyway.

"Thank you, Victoria. I am sorry for all that has happened, but I think it would be best if we never spoke again unless you really needed me. Is that understood?"

"Sure." She was bossing me around again like a little kid, but I really didn't feel like fighting again, so I just went along with it.

"Take care, April." Dante held his hand out for her to take but instead, she ran forward, hugging him tightly. I rolled my eyes.

"Bye, my darling Dante." I growled lightly and my eyes felt as though they were going to burn a hole in the back of her skull.

"I hope you grow up while I'm gone, Victoria. But, if not, good luck reigning."

"I'll be just fine." I said sourly.

I still didn't understand how April could change so quickly, but I guess she wouldn't be around anymore to deal with, so it was okay. I just couldn't get the changes out of my mind. First, she was nice; she was the best friend I could ask for. And then everything changed, she hated me and she didn't agree with a word I said.

It all started when I found Xavier. I wondered what he had to do with all of this, but I decided to throw the thoughts away right now until I could sit down with Dante.

We all walked outside to see April and the other elders off and stood on the steps in front of everyone. No one had left yet and I was quite glad. I wanted to let everyone know what had happened.

"Goodbye, everyone." April said as she waved her hand in the air.

They all nodded, although confusion crossed all of their faces. I was sure they didn't know what was going on, but it was alright, we would tell them all after April left.

She grabbed her bags again and walked to the middle of the crowd of people. The elders followed soon after and they all disappeared, waving to everyone.

We all stood there for a moment, watching the small circle that was left behind from where they were standing.

Everyone turned to look at me, Dante, and my dad and shrugged.

"Yes, April has left. We will be looking after everyone now." Dante shouted. His voice echoed off of the broken walls of the mansion.

Everyone looked around and smiles started to form on their faces. I bent down to pick up Xavier as he pulled on my shirt, brightness filling his little eyes.

Nikki ran over, grabbing my hand just then and I looked at my little family once more. Complete; completely complete.

I knew this new life would be hard to deal with, but I was more than willing to deal with every obstacle it would throw at me.

I loved how things were turning out and I loved my fiancée even more than I had before. We would be married soon and everything would be wonderful once again.

I was much too excited.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15: Settling Down

Once everyone had left and everything had settled down, Dante and I decided to head on home.

I tried transporting myself for the first time, being beyond successful in my attempt. I was completely happy with my accomplishment.

It was actually easier than I thought. All I had to do was think of where I wanted to go, and make my body show up there.

We returned back to Dante and I's house and decided it was time to let Nikki know what was going on with everything. I had decided it wasn't time to talk to Xavier yet about what he had turned into, but I was quickly changing my mind, finding out he seemed much older than what he really was.

We all sat in the living room; Dante and I next to one another, my father on the small chair, and Nikki and Xavier sitting in Indian-style on the floor in front of us.

"Nikki," Dante started, he leaned forward, folding his hands together and staring at both of our little angels. "April 

has left, as you see and I was wondering if you had any idea why."

"She wasn't happy with me," Nikki said, lowering her head. "She always told me I wasn't good enough to be her daughter; that I didn't have the right kind of personality or powers she'd preferred I would have. She made me feel really bad about myself; almost like I wasn't even supposed to be in existence." Her eyes twinkled when she looked up at me.

"Nikki, I never knew she said those things to you. Why didn't you tell us sooner?" Dante asked.

"Well, she was always like that. I never really thought into it up until the end of our relationship. Once Victoria found Xavier, it was almost like she was jealous about what you guys had. It made me dreadfully upset."

"She was jealous of us? Is that why she wanted Xavier changed? So she could feel better?" April pissed me off so bad. I just didn't understand her deal and now that she was gone, it was harder not to find her and kill her. No one would know, right? I could show up, kill her, and be on with my life, right?

"She knew Xavier held a higher power and she thought that by turning him into one of us, he might die. She thought his 

little body wouldn't be able to take it." Nikki looked over to Xavier and grabbed his small hand, kissing the back of it. It was quite a sight-two children in love. It was nothing I'd ever seen before and it was simply amazing.

"April wanted me to die? But, why, Nikki?" Xavier asked her, looking into her eyes, his widening.

"I don't know, but I wanted to leave and I was about to tell you, Victoria, but you found out her plans on your own." She looked back to me.

"I know. I'm just sorry I didn't find out sooner. Xavier wouldn't have suffered and neither would you. I knew something was wrong but I couldn't put my finger on it."

"I'm just glad she's gone now," she looked back to Xavier, "and I'm sorry I hurt you. It wasn't me; she was controlling me."

He nodded his little head, his curls lightly bouncing and he smiled at her, tightening his grip on her hand. They were the two most perfect children I'd ever seen, and the best part of all of it was that they were both mine. Forever.

"Are you going to be okay staying with us, Nikki?" Dante asked.

"Of course! I can't wait to spend everyday with Xavier!"

"I should probably be leaving, seeing as you do not need my assistance anymore." My father got up from his chair and started walking towards the doors.

"No! Dad, where do you think you're going?! You've got to help us plan the rest of the wedding now! It's less than a month away and we could really use your help, couldn't we, Dante?" I elbowed him in the ribs.

"Ouch," he muttered under his breath. "Of….of course, Damien. We would love your help. You may stay as long as you prefer." Dante flashed a smile.

"Well, okay. I guess I could stay a little longer, that is, if you guys really need me. If you're lying and I find out, you'll pay, Dante."

"Oh no, sir, I would never lie to you." He said sarcastically.

"Why don't you two go play in Xavier's room?" I asked, looking down to the kids. They both got up and ran up the stairs after one another, laughing and giggling the whole way. They made me smile so brightly I thought the chandelier above me would break.

"Victoria, you don't even know what the wedding will look like, do you?" Dante asked.

"No, actually, I don't. I know some things, but I don't know major details. And for some reason, I'm more interested now!" I started bouncing up and down, looking to Dante and my father over and over, smiling.

"Okay, okay, calm down!" He laughed. "Let's go to the dining room where we can look at some more details."

"Okay! Come on dad!" I got up, grabbed my dad's hand, and skipped to the dining room.

For the rest of the night, we went over wedding detail after wedding detail, fixed all of the bugs, and figured out a few more things that I would like to see happen.

I was much too excited now, considering that it seemed as though everything was going so much smoother now.

"This is going to be a great wedding, you guys. You have my blessing, by the way, Dante." My dad said, standing up from the table and pushing in his chair.

"Thank you, Damien. That means a lot to me." Dante grabbed my father's hand, shaking it lightly. They smiled at 

each other for one of the first times and I almost started crying. It was so nice to see them getting along and to see everything going so great.

"Vic, you must be tired. You've had a long day, haven't you?" My dad asked, putting his arm around my shoulder. I let out a yawn, realizing how tired I really was.

"Yeah, I am kind of tired, actually."

"Let's get you to bed, sweetie." Dante grabbed my hand, leading me out of the dining room.

We all stopped in the main hallway and turned towards one another in a small circle. I walked over to my dad, kissed him on the cheek and said my goodnights.

Dante and I then walked upstairs and I changed into some pajamas. I climbed into the large bed and smiled at Dante as I laid my head on the pillow.

"You are too beautiful, my love." He whispered. _I want you too badly, Victoria,_ I heard his mind whisper.

I creased my forehead with this statement. It just hit me that we had only gotten so far in our relationship; the physical one, rather. The last time we tried anything, he ended up 

biting me and changing me into a vampire. So, I guess that wasn't really a successful try.

"You want me, eh?" I asked, looking innocent.

"Quit listening to my thoughts." He laughed.

"I'm sorry, they're just so interesting sometimes. Usually I don't listen because I respect people's personal thoughts, but with you, it's a little harder not to hear them."

"I understand," he said, pulling me on top of him. My hair rested around his face as I lowered my head and puckered my lips. He laughed lightly and kissed me roughly, pulling my hair so that my face was as close to his as it could get.

I felt myself blushing as he ran his hands up and down my back, kissing me deeply. I knew we wouldn't have to worry about him being too rough now, considering I was a vampire now, too, and I would stop him before he had the chance to hurt me.

He ran his hands all over my body now, lifting my shirt up just a little bit to feel my skin. I shivered at his touch and I felt as though every nerve in my body was going haywire. My head started to fog and my thoughts turned off completely, leaving only him and I together.

I pulled him on top of me now, taking his shirt off slowly. He gasped but I just smiled, throwing it onto the ground beside our bed. I ran my hands over his muscles, feeling the warmth of his body under my palms. Now that we had the same body temperature, he felt so much nicer to the touch and I couldn't get enough.

He was kissing me rougher now, pulling my hair as hard as he could, and surprisingly, I loved it. He pinned my hands behind my head, kissing my neck and rubbing his nose all over my face.

My shirt came next. He pulled it off up over my head and I felt self-concious for a moment, but knew that he would never judge me by my body. I tried to cover myself for a split second, but he started kissing my stomach, leaving me breathless and unable to move.

Before I knew it, it was as though our honeymoon had come a month early. We couldn't stop touching each other, we couldn't stop kissing each other, and he couldn't stop what he was doing.

It was the closest I'd ever felt to Dante and I never wanted it to end. I felt as though we were the only ones in existence; I forgot all about the previous day and the events 

that had occurred; I forgot about Nikki and Xavier and my father just fifty feet away from us in the other rooms of the house.

I tried as hard as I could to bring myself back to reality, but I kept slipping back into my world of bliss. I hate to say it, but I needed more, and I wanted more from him.

I knew that Dante could go all night, but I needed my rest before I passed out. I cuddled up beside him and his fantastic warm body and closed my eyes while he twisted his fingers in my hair. I nestled my head in his chest and he hugged me tightly while I fell into a very deep sleep.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16: Shock

I yawned and stretched as the light of the morning shone in the large window and warmed my face. I looked beside me to see Dante smiling widely, probably the biggest smile I'd ever seen on his face.

"Why are you so happy, this morning?" I asked while I stretched once more.

"Oh, I don't know, maybe because last night was perfectly amazing?"

I blushed. At least, I think I did. I wasn't quite sure if I _could_ blush anymore, but I felt like I was, anyway.

"I'm glad I waited for you, my love." Dante whispered, brushing the back of his hand across my cheek.

"Wait, you were…you were a virgin?" I asked, astonished. Wow, to think that a guy who has waited over one-hundred years just to have sex. That's some guy, huh?

"Of course I was a virgin. I knew I would wait until I found the right girl. I knew I would wait until I felt it in ever bone in my body."

"That's the sweetest thing I've ever heard. As you can see, most guys don't give it that much thought. If they can get it, they get it." I said sarcastically.

"Well, I am not most guys, am I?" He stood up off the bed in one swift movement and held his hand out for me to take. I looked down at my body, realizing I still didn't have my clothes on, and picked up the blanket as I stood up.

"Please don't cover yourself. You are much too beautiful to feel ashamed." He grabbed the blanket from my hands. I stood there sheepishly, trying to cover as much as I could, and then gave up, shrugging my shoulders and throwing my arms in the air.

"I'm sorry I wasn't a virgin, Dante. It hurts to know that my first time was taken by a guy I had no such feelings for." I 

said, lowering my head. I felt my eyes start to burn and a few tears dropped onto my chest.

Dante walked over, taking my head in his hands and bringing my eyes up to look into his. "Don't you ever feel bad about that," he said looking serious at me.

"I can't help thinking about it, though. I just wish it never happened. I mean, sure, it _felt_ like my first time, but it wasn't really my first time. And that hurts me beyond belief." A few more tears escaped my eyes.

"Victoria, you cannot change the past. What matters is the here and the now. What matters is that you have a man in front of you whom loves you with all of his existence. What matters is that you are safe now, within my arms. I love you, and I couldn't have asked for more with last night. It was purely magical, do you not agree?"

"Of course I agree! It was the best thing I've ever experienced, but I just," I sighed, "I have to get over it. It's the past, and the past doesn't matter."

"Exactly. You are much too perfect to let such a situation ruin everything good in your life."

"I guess you're right," I said, hugging him tightly. Every time we touched, my head would cloud so much that I forgot what I was thinking or what I was about to say. Nothing mattered anymore except that I could be with Dante forever. I knew now that we would be spending eternity next to one another and that was the greatest gift of all, in my book.

"If you would like to put some clothes on, you may." He smiled, backing away and taking my hands. We swung our arms for a moment, and the he bent down and kissed me. I hadn't noticed how tall he was until now. Weird, I know.

Dante walked downstairs after blowing me one last kiss and I searched the large closet for something to wear. I didn't know where he got all of the garments he had, but I was guessing he'd brought some back every time he went hunting.

I decided to dress a little nicer today, so I went for a green turtle-neck sweater and some dark jeans. I know, it doesn't sound very "special" but for me, it was quite the stretch.

I closed the closet door, walked out of our beautiful bedroom, and skipped down the stairs. I walked to the dining room and found everyone sitting at the table, blank looks on all of their faces.

I stopped quickly and wrinkled my forehead in the doorway, shooting all of them worried looks.

"What's going on?" I asked.

"I think you should sit down, Victoria." My father said, looking straight forward.

I walked to a chair slowly, looking at Dante who just lowered his head to the ground. Okay, this was starting to freak me out.

I pulled out a chair and sat down cautiously, looking over to Nikki and Xavier. They both looked straight ahead, as well, and I became even more flustered.

"I found your mother, Victoria." My dad said, looking at me and then looking back down.

"What?! You found mom?! Where is she?! Take me to see her!"

"Calm down, kid. It's not what you think. She isn't okay." His eyes started to water.

"What? What do you mean she isn't okay? If she's not dead, then she's okay, dad! Where is she?!"

"She has been tied up and tortured for the past year, Vic. I hadn't thought of searching for her until now because I was so set on the idea that she was dead. I have to go save her."

"I'm going with you! Where is she?!" I closed my eyes, searching my father's head and found my mother. I gasped as I looked at her broken body. She looked dreadfully thin and 

malnourished. Her skin was very pale and her eyes were sunken in. I couldn't think. I couldn't react. All I could do was sit there and stare at the image in my father's head.

"Oh my God…" I whispered.

"I know, I know."

Just then, I stood up. I closed my eyes, and I arrived in front of a small home.

"This can't be it, can it?" I said to myself.

I walked forward slowly, trying to find the location of my mother. _Yup, this is it_, I thought.

I heard a stick break and I looked behind myself to see my dad staring at me. Shortly after, Dante showed up with the same expression on his face.

"Well, dad, what are we waiting for?!" I flung my arms in the air.

"Victoria. I'm warning you, kid. She won't look the same."

"I know, dad. But, I can't leave her there! Knowing that I can save her makes everything else obsolete! Don't you see that?! Do you want her to die?!" I walked toward him quickly and right up into his face with my fists at my sides. I tried to control my mind, making myself calm, but it was hard at a time like this.

"I just don't want you to get hurt again."

"I'm already hurt, dad! That's my mom in there! I can't just sit by and watch her dwindle away!"

"We should go in, Damien. I think seeing her mother would give her closure," Dante whispered.

"Closure?! What do you mean, she's still alive! I heard her heartbeat!"

"Let's go in," my dad said.

I turned around angrily. If they didn't want to be here, they didn't have to be here. I wanted to save her and I wouldn't let them get in my way, no matter how much I loved them.

I walked to the front door and opened the metal screen door. It creaked loudly and I winced at the noise. I knew it was loud and I was hoping no one would hear. I didn't know what was keeping my mother captive, but if it was a group of vampires, they would all die today.

I held the screen door open with my leg and tried to turn the handle of the wooden door, a slight creak coming from it, as well. I walked inside cautiously, taking one step at a time, trying to be as quiet as possible.

I made my steps soft in my mind, and it reflected in reality. I didn't make one sound as I searched the small house. I walked into the living room and held my breath. The smell was so terrible it would knock a normal human out cold. I looked around and saw garbage everywhere and everything was out of order.

I decided to turn around out of here, since obviously, my mother wasn't present in this room. I heard the front door squeak and figured it was my father and Dante. I walked to the kitchen, smelling the same thing. There was dirty dishes everywhere and the floor looked as though there was fecal matter spread about.

I felt terrible for my mother having to stay in this place and I just wanted to find her and leave.

I searched my mind once again for her and she was in a very dark room. I figured there was only one place she could be-the basement.

I found a door and opened it, looking into a small closet. _Nope, not it_, I thought.

I found another door and swung it open, looking into darkness. I decided this must be it. I touched the side of the wall next to the door, trying to find a lightswitch. I finally found it, but when I turned it on, nothing happened.

"Damn light bulb must be burned out." I muttered to myself.

I walked down the stairs carefully, keeping the noises locked in my mind so they didn't make their way around me.

I found the last step and almost tripped as I touched the basement ground. The temperature must have been a twenty degree difference than upstairs. If I was cold and I was now a vampire, then this must be the equivalent to a freezer.

I squinted my eyes through the darkness, trying to see but saw nothing. I rummaged around the large room, trying to find my mother, but I found her nowhere.

Finally, I tripped over something. I fell to the ground and hit my head on the stone ground. I picked myself back up and put a hand on my forehead. "Ouch," I whispered.

Of course it didn't really hurt, but I was so used to being clumsy that I always said "Ouch."

I squinted my eyes again and found something hanging on a wall beside me. I backed away and a hand grabbed me, stifling my scream.

I was pulled back into the darkness.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17: Torture

I tried to scream but I was just pulled back further into the darkness. I reached my hand out to try to grab anything but I found nothing to grab hold of.

"Shut up you little bitch!" Someone said behind me. I'd imagined it was the person pulling me away, but I wasn't sure if there was someone else there or not.

I started sobbing and tried to bite the person's hand covering my mouth; not even thinking to use my powers. I felt utterly useless and confined.

Whoever it was turned me around to face them, but they were wearing a black mask over their face. I wondered where Dante and my father were, but decided I'd better find a way out of this predicament.

The person grabbed some tape from a counter and pulled it, biting a large piece off of the roll. It was still dark, seeing as we hadn't left the basement, but my eyes were adjusting quite well; must be my vampire senses.

Whoever it was replaced their hand with the tape over my mouth and began to bind my hands and feet together so that they were all together tightly. I felt like a pig getting ready to go over the fire for eating. I started struggling against the ropes holding my hands and feet together but I couldn't get out of them by myself.

I tried to look around to find whoever had tied me up, but I couldn't find them. I struggled for a moment longer and stopped dead hearing a terrifying scream coming from the other side of the room

"Mom?!" I mumbled against the tape.

I heard quick footsteps coming toward me and felt a swift and hard kick into my side. I winced in pain and heard whoever it was growl under their breath.

"I said shut up!" They screamed.

I lay there, crying and gagging on my own spit as my mother was tortured not twenty feet away.

Soon after her scream, I realized that I was a darkling. _What the hell am I doing?_ I asked myself. _I can get out of here, what am I doing?!_

I closed my eyes and saw the ropes coming undone. The tape followed soon after, slowly tearing itself from my top and bottom lips. I closed my eyes and my eyes started to water with the pain, but I told myself to be quiet with my movements.

I sat up now freely; the ropes and tape falling to the ground silently around me. I rose up slowly, focusing on the energy from the person who was torturing my mother.

I heard another scream and then some quick breaths followed by the sound of a whip smacking against something.

"Dumb whore," the voice muttered.

I could heard my mother's struggles against whatever was holding her down. I heard her gargled words as the person hit her over and over.

My anger started to boil in throat until I felt like I was going to vomit from the stress of the situation. I walked briskly toward the shadowy figure, focusing on this person's heart, veins, and bones.

I broke everything in their body in one swift movement from my mind and the body fell limp to the ground with a hard thud.

I ran over to my mother and stopped to look at her.

"Oh. My. God," I whispered. I brought my hand up to my face to cover my mouth in shock. I couldn't believe she was the same person.

Her cheeks looked sunken in, her eyes held dark circles under them, her wrists were bloody and bruised terribly. A thick line of blood trickled from the side of her mouth and deep cuts covered her body.

She was naked, which was the worst part of all, and I could see every single thing this person did to hurt her. I saw all of the bruises-dark purple and blue-everywhere. I fell to my knees in front of her and cried, throwing my hands in the air.

I looked up again to see her looking down at me, her dark hair mangled and dirty and it clung to the sides of her face with sweat. A tear rolled down her cheek and onto her chin, falling down onto my face.

I stood up, cradling her distorted body in my arms and crying onto her chest. I couldn't believe my mother was alive-barely-but she was alive. I couldn't believe that I was holding her right now and that she wasn't just a part of my dreams.

"I'm so sorry, mom!" I sobbed into her skin.

I untied her arms from the board that held her up and I caught her body as she fell down off of her restraints.

I carried her through the darkness and up the stairs, hearing her cry and choke on her blood. I couldn't get myself together. I couldn't be calm at a time like this.

We got outside and I placed her on the ground in front of the house, looking at her wounds in the light. God did she look terrible. I couldn't get over the whip marks and the punch marks on her face. Her beautiful face had been ruined by the hands of a monster.

Her curly hair was now much too tangled to recognize and she looked skinny as hell.

I closed my eyes, and concentrated on her face, remembering it as it was. I tried to put it back together, healing the bruises and cuts, smoothing every knick.

I opened my eyes again, but she looked the same. She was still the same bruised and battered woman I had rescued from that terrible basement.

"What? Why isn't it working?!" I began panicking, concentrating harder, though no matter how hard I would think and focus, nothing would happen. She was left unchanged.

"No!" I screamed, looking into the face of my once mother.

I couldn't understand why it wasn't working. How could I heal everyone except her?! Why wasn't this working?!

I moved around her body quickly, concentrating on different parts, but nothing happened. Nothing was happening! I couldn't heal my mother no matter how hard I tried.

I picked up her body again, hearing her short-disconnected breaths. She winced as I held her and walked to an open part in front of the house.

I transported us back to my house and ran inside with her in my arms.

"Dante?! Dad?!" I screamed as I laid her down on the couch. I grabbed a blanket from upstairs and ran back down quickly to place it over my mother.

"Where are you guys?!"

"Vikki?! What's wrong?" Nikki came running inside from out back and stopped in the doorway to the living room. She opened her mouth in surprise and walked to my mother's side slowly.

"Nikki, what should I do?! She's going to die!" I looked down at my mother and cried harder.

"You have to bite her, Victoria! She's going to die! If you don't do it, I will!" She lowered her head to my mom's neck but I pushed her out of the way, taking her place.

"Are you sure? Are you sure this is going to work?! Nikki, are you sure?!" I stared at her nervously.

"Yes! Do it now! She's slipping away! Hurry!"

I lowered my head back down to my mom's neck and stared at it for a moment. I hadn't tasted the blood of a human yet, and I wasn't quite sure of how I would react.

I screamed in pain as I felt my teeth growing out of my mouth. I smelled her blood; the sweet stench of her scarlet liquid that ran through her veins. I inhaled it deeply and my throat started to burn like it was on fire.

I decided to just get it over with. I felt my mother's heart slowing and I knew that I had to react quickly.

I dug my teeth into her neck and swapped my venom with her blood, swallowing the fluids. My eyes rolled into the back of my head with the taste. It was better than anything I had ever tasted in my human life, and in this life. It had almost the taste of a delicious fruit punch skipping down my throat and nourishing the dry walls.

I broke out of the taste and came back to reality, releasing my grip from my mother and snapping my teeth back into place.

I backed away from her, looking down at her with sorrowful eyes. She began screaming and thrashing around under the blanket, her eyes opening and closing.

I looked to Nikki who just watched as though this were a TV show. She looked completely overcome with entertainment, and it sort of worried me. Her eyes were bright as she watched my mom shout and kick.

"Is she going to be okay?" I asked.

"She'll be just fine," she said and then looked up at me with a worried expression, "Where's Dante and your dad?"

"Oh my God! I don't know! I went inside to help my mom and I never saw them again. Oh my God…" I looked for my father.

_We're fine, Victoria, no need to worry, kid. We've got to finish up here._

My father shot me the vision of Dante and him in the same house with a couple of bodies lying next to them. Dante brushed his hands on each other, looking at my dad and smiling.

_Why didn't I see you when I left? Did you see me leave with mom? Didn't you hear her scream?_

_I was sure you had it taken care of. She's okay, right?_

I showed him an image of my mother's current condition and heard a gasp in my mind.

_I bit her, dad, but I had to, she was dying. I couldn't heal her and I needed her to be okay._

_I understand. We will be home soon, no worries. I don't know who these people are, but they're taken care of. We must do a sweep of all of the homes to make sure nothing like this is happening anywhere else._

_I agree. See you soon._

I looked at my mother once more and she started to slow her motions down. Her heart stopped beating and I almost had an anxiety attack, but Nikki told me it was normal. I had forgotten that was something that happened when someone turned.

"We should let her rest. She's probably going through a lot right now. Let's make Xavier some lunch," Nikki said, grabbing my hand and leading me to the kitchen.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18: Chasing a Demon

For the next few days, I sat next to my mother on the floor, watching her. She didn't breathe, she didn't move, and I couldn't hear her heart anymore. It worried me because I knew that she could be dead, but then again, I didn't know because she was still undergoing the process of being changed into one of us.

I cried by her side until she would wake up. I had given her the gift of everlasting breath, but I also knew that it was a terrible curse placed upon whoever it touched.

I laid my head next to her on the couch and cried. I heard small movements coming from her body under the blanket and shot my head up to look.

Her eyes fluttered under their lids until she opened them slowly, revealing bright red irises. It scared me at first, but I knew that she was fine now. I was glad my eyes had returned to their normal color, although they were even brighter, if that was possible.

She looked around for a second, her head still rested on the pillow. I caught my breath as I stared at her, waiting for her response.

"Mom?" I asked quietly.

She turned her head to look at me slowly and the corner of her mouth curled into a small smile. I smiled back brightly and grabbed her, hugging her tightly.

"Where am I?" She asked. I backed away for a moment and closed my eyes.

"Mom, there's a lot that you've missed. I'm sorry I didn't rescue you sooner but I thought you were dead…" I looked down to the ground.

"I _thought_ I was dead, Vic." She brought her hand up and placed it on my cheek. I rubbed my face against it like a cat and looked at her.

"I'm so sorry, mom. I promise you'll never be hurt again. I'm so sorry." Tears started to flow from my eyes and I heard a few people walk into the room.

I turned around to look and saw my father, Dante, Nikki, and Xavier all standing, waiting to enter the room. Everyone had smiles on their faces except for my father. His eyes filled with sadness and he brought his hands up to his face, covering it and sobbing into his palms.

I ran over and hugged him, burying my head in his chest.

"Dad, mom's okay! She's okay! Aren't you happy?!" I asked.

"Of course I'm happy, kid; I'm damn near ecstatic."

"Then why are you crying?" I asked, wiping his tears with my fingers.

"I just can't believe that she's here and that she's alive. I can't believe it."

He moved me out of the way lightly and slowly walked over to my mother. She looked bewildered as he kneeled beside her, taking her hands.

"Damien?" She asked wide-eyed.

"Yes, Destiny, it's me."

My mother reached her hand up and stroked it across my dad's cheek, tears filling her eyes.

I couldn't understand why my mother didn't seem like a vampire, but I didn't care as long as they were together. She seemed perfectly fine; unchanged, rather.

"I've missed you so much, sweetheart," my dad said, grabbing her and hugging her tightly.

I looked over to Dante who watched, smiling, and reached for his hand, entwining our fingers together. Tears fell onto my shirt as I watched my parent's reunion, hoping and praying for the best. It seemed as though everything was perfect in this chaotic world and it seemed as though nothing could possibly take away my happiness.

I watched as they kissed for moments-on-end and I watched as my mother took her first steps as a vampire.

"Why does my throat hurt so badly?" She asked, rubbing her neck with her hands.

"That is your thirst, Destiny," Dante answered.

"Thirst? Well, I've been thirty before and it's never felt like this."

"You are a vampire now, have you not realized that?"

"A….a vampire?! What are you talking about?!" She twisted her head in all directions, looking at all of us over and over.

"Mom, I told you! You were dying, I had to do something!"

She went silent and stared at me for a long while. Then she finally whispered, "My….little girl is a….vampire?" She walked toward me and took my face in her hands.

"Not exactly, but yeah, I have some vampire in me, mom. That's why I said you've missed a lot. But don't be scared, I'm fine." I smiled.

"And…and these children; they're….yours?" She walked to Nikki and Xavier who held hands, gazing up at her.

"No, I found Xavier and Nikki is staying with us. Mom, just be patient, I'll explain everything, okay?"

"How have I missed this much? I haven't even been gone for that long! Why….just yesterday, that creature killed that young girl; am I wrong?"

"Mom, that was almost a year ago."

A look of shock came across her face and her eyes widened.

"You mean to tell me that I haven't seen you in almost a year?!"

"I thought you were dead, mom! I had to save you from those people that were torturing you! That was last week, didn't you know?!"

She walked in front of me. "Tortured?! Victoria, I don't remember any of it! I don't remember anything!"

I looked up at Dante, concern filling my expression. I shook my head slowly and he gave me the same look back.

"What's wrong with her?" I asked him.

"I'm not quite sure. It seems as though she's only remembered bits and pieces of her human life."

"What are you talking about?!" My mom started to stomp where she was standing and my dad walked over, grabbing her by the waist. "I don't understand any of this!"

"Des, it's fine, really, hun, it's okay," my dad whispered in her ear.

"Listen, Damien! I am not going to take you back this easily, that may be what it looked like over there," she pointed to the couch, " But you're not getting me back that easily! Have you forgotten what you have done?!"

"No, I haven't and I never will, but please forgive me. I've changed, you can ask Victoria," he looked at me and pointed a finger.

I nodded once.

"I don't care, Damien! Listen, you guys, I don't know what's going on here or what happened, but I want to know now! I want to know!"

I was quite surprised to see how immature my mother was acting, but I suppose I would be the same way if I had no memory of what happened to me.

"Calm down, honey, everything is fine. I promise I'll make all of this up to you, okay?" He pleaded with his eyes.

"Not right now, you won't. I can't believe any of this! My daughter is a vampire, my husband is a lying sack of crap, and I have two grandchildren whom I have never met! How could this all happen in the matter of a year?! I just don't get it!"

"Mom! Calm. Down," I said, while walking over and grabbing her hands.

"I thought you were smarter than this, Vic. I thought you hated them as much as I did! How could you just forget about me?!"

"I didn't forget about you, mom! I've thought about you every single day since you left me in the attic! Dante rescued me and I thought you were dead! I didn't know you were still alive being tortured somewhere! I didn't know, okay?! But, I've saved you, so why can't you just forgive us all?! Please?! I love you, mom…." I lowered my head.

"Well, apparently I wasn't dead, you got bitten, you found your father, and now you're living with this….this creature…." She shot Dante a dirty look.

I grabbed her face with my hands and made her look at me.

"Don't you _ever_ call him that. Don't you blame this on him! This is all of my fault. You have no idea what has happened, mom! You have no idea!" I started to break down, feeling a bit dizzy.

"Well then, what has he done to you?! What _are_ you, Victoria?!" Her eyes fluttered with questions.

"I'm a darkling, mom. And so is dad. He left because he couldn't handle himself around us. He didn't want to hurt us!"

She back away now, looking at us all with a frightful expression. I knew I had scared her, but she was acting so crazy that I had to tell her the truth!

"A….darkling?! Is this your father's lie that he has told you?! You don't really believe this, do you?!"

"Of course I do, mom! I have the powers; I have everything that he has described. Why wouldn't I believe him?!"

"He's a liar! You're not this _thing_ you speak of! It can't be true! None of this is true! You tell her the truth, Damien! Tell her the truth!" She grabbed my father's shirt and started yanking him forward and back, shouting in his face.

"It is the truth!" He said in his defense.

"Mom, it's true! You have to believe us! If you don't, I'll just have to show you!"

I closed my eyes and focused on the couch at the side of the room. I brought it into the air and put it back down on the floor lightly.

I opened my eyes to see my mother's expression. She looked shocked, scared, and bewildered.

"See?! He's not lying!"

"How is this possible?"

"Victoria and her father are very special," Dante said, taking my hand.

"But, how….what…." she was at a loss for words.

"Destiny, I didn't tell you sooner because I knew this is how you would react! Knowing that I used to be such a terrible liar, I knew you would never believe me. I knew it," my father grabbed her by her arms, looking into her eyes.

I wished this would end. I wished my mother would just understand, but I knew that it was going to take awhile for her to wrap her head around everything that had happened.

"This is just crazy…" she said.

"I know it's crazy, but you must believe him," Dante answered.

She turned to face us then and lowered her head in sadness. "Are you pregnant, Victoria? Don't lie."

Dante and I looked at each other and wrinkled our foreheads.

"Not that I know of, why?"

"If you're the vampire you say you are, why can I smell something inside of you?"

I backed away and put my hand to my stomach. What was she talking about? I didn't understand. How could she know the scent of blood so soon and most importantly, what the hell did she mean by "I smell something inside of you?"

"What are you talking about, mom?!"

She walked toward me, lowering herself down to her knees in front of me. She placed her ear to my stomach and listened for a moment, closing her eyes and sniffing just a tiny bit.

"I hear a heartbeat," she said, looking up at me.

My mouth fell open wide and I hit the ground with a hard thud.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19: Second Thoughts

"Victoria!" A voice screamed in my dreams.

I dreamt of a beautiful place; a place in the clouds. Dante and I were the only ones there, cuddling together in the white castle of the sky.

I felt something move inside of me. I looked down with a puzzled expression and saw something kick inside of me.

In a split second, my stomach exploded and blood flew all over Dante's face.

My eyes shot open and I lay there, breathing heavily and sweating.

"Are you okay?" Dante asked. I realized I was dreaming. I knew I could relax now, none of it was real. Good.

"I was just dreaming?" I sighed, "Good."

"You passed out," Dante whispered.

I looked around to see the faces of my family staring down on me. I propped myself up slowly with my arms and looked around. The back of my head throbbed and I put my hand to it lightly, wincing.

"Are you okay?" He asked again.

"I'm fine if this is all a dream."

"I don't know what's going on, Victoria, but we'll figure this out," he said, grabbing me and cradling me in his arms.

I stood up swiftly, leaving Dante kneeling on the ground. Okay, if this wasn't a dream, what is happening to me? I can't possibly be pregnant, can I?

"Can I really be pregnant?" I asked, teary-eyed.

"I'm afraid you can, kid," my dad said sorrowful. I knew it broke his heart to find that I didn't wait until I was married, but then again, who did anymore? I felt sick to my stomach.

"This can't be happening."

"Maybe it's because we've found that vampires are more human than we've thought. I can cry, can't I? That means that my body holds liquids, am I right?"

I nodded. I couldn't believe that I was pregnant. Sure, I'd changed my mind about kids and Dante and I had been talking about it, but now that it was happening, I was changing my mind all over again.

"I don't know if I can do this," I whispered, looking at my stomach.

Dante stood up and hugged me tightly. I hugged him back with just a little resentment. I knew that half of this was my fault, but I couldn't help being mad that we weren't more careful.

"Why weren't we more protected?" I asked in his shirt.

"I don't know. I guess this is our gift," he said, backing away and looking into my eyes.

I felt my knees give out when he looked at me. I'd almost forgotten how beautiful those eyes were, sparkling in any type of light.

"I'll be okay. I'm just a little freaked out right now."

"I understand."

"Honey, why didn't you tell me earlier?!" My mom asked, running forward and hugging me.

"I didn't know I was, mom. I would have told you if I knew. You know that."

"Of course. I'm sorry, Victoria. I'm happy for you, really, I am, but I don't even know this man. How am I supposed to be fine with my only daughter having a vampire's baby?"

"Trust me, mom. I'll be fine. I've been through much worse than finding out I'm pregnant."

Her eyes widened. "Sweetie, you have no idea what you're in for."

"I'll be fine, believe me."

She nodded and backed away. We all just stood there, looking down at the ground, thoughts racing in our heads.

"I'm going to go out back," I said.

They all nodded and watched as I walked slowly out the door. I walked to the back yard and took my normal resting spot. I sat on the small stone porch, looking out into the woods.

I stared all day it seemed like; not a thought running through my head. I needed some peace right now, and it seemed like everyone was respecting that.

The kids stayed inside all day, and Dante never came out to see if I was alright. I needed my alone time right now.

I watched as the sky changed colors from blue to pink, from orange to purple. Tonight was beautiful and I sat under the stars, peering up at the moonlight.

It poured across the yard lightly and danced on my skin, making me look even paler; if that is possible.

I didn't think about being pregnant, I didn't think about the wedding, and I didn't think about my mother being alive. Call me selfish, but I only thought of one thing-myself.

After awhile, I curled myself into a ball, closing my eyes. I sat there, blank-minded and scared.

"Are you tired yet, my love? I'm sorry to disturb you, but I thought you might want your rest."

I stayed there with the thoughts rushing back into my mind like a dam had been broken.

I heard someone sit next to me and felt them wrap their arms around me, kissing my hair.

"I love you and I promise we'll get through this. I promise with all of my soul that you will be okay," he whispered in my ear.

"I'm just scared!" I grabbed him tightly, bawling once again.

"I know, I am too. I don't know what is going to happen with this baby, Victoria. But I do know one thing; it will be the most magnificent child to ever grace this earth."

I looked up at his face, smiling lightly and nodded. His eyes were filled with tears as well and we sat there for a long while, crying in each other's arms.

I wiped his crystal tears with my hands and grabbed his face, staring at him. I knew it would be okay and I knew he wouldn't rest until I was safe, but I was still worried out of my mind.

"I wanted to have kids, Dante, but now that I'm pregnant, I just don't know."

"I know, I feel the same way."

"But, I can't get rid of it, I just can't."

"I will stand by your decision, whatever that may be, my love. Just know that this isn't going to be easy. I'm not sure what type of creature will be growing, but if there is a chance of it killing you, I will rip it out with my bare hands."

"Kill me?" I asked, terrified. I hadn't thought of anything like that before. How would a baby kill me? How could that be possible? Hopefully it would turn out fine and everything would go back to normal.

"The only reason I say that is because I'm not sure of what the baby is, yet. I'm not sure if it is like you-half-vampire, half-darkling, or if it is all vampire, or if it's just darkling. Do you understand?"

"Oh, okay. Wow, there's a lot riding on this, isn't there."

"Your life, my love."

Shortly after, he followed me upstairs and I fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow.

I worried all night with my eyes fluttering under their lids. My mind was in a rush of thoughts and I couldn't stop dreaming about different ways the baby would kill me.

Only one dream throughout the night was pleasant.

I was in a hospital bed, looking at my mother, father, Dante, Nikki, and Xavier. They all waited for something, but I wasn't sure what it was.

A nurse then walked in, holding a bundle in her arms. She smiled brightly and held the thing out to me.

I took it into my arms and stared at it for a moment.

"It's a beautiful baby girl," she said.

I smiled and looked back down to her. She had a small round face and a cute little button-nose. She was glorious. Her cheeks were flushed and she sat there, smiling back at me.

Her hair was dark brown and her eyes were a bright blue-the color of baby's eyes just after they were born. I loved her. I wanted to take her home with me and never leave her side.

I didn't want the dream to ever end, but when morning came, my dream disappeared along with my thoughts of peace.

"Good morning, love," Dante greeted me with a smile as he did every morning.

I hugged and kissed him and got up out of bed, walking to the closet for something to wear. He followed after me with a worried expression and watched as I changed into my normal attire.

I moseyed downstairs and made myself some cereal, eating it slowly. Dante sat next to me, staring at me until I picked up my bowl, pushed in my seat, and rinsed my dish out in the sink.

He grabbed my arm softly and turned me around to look at him.

"Tell me what you're thinking."

"I really don't know anymore, Dante."

"Do you want this baby, or not?"

I stood there, staring at him.

"Well, if the baby is fine and everything is going to be okay, then I want it. If it is going to come out as a monster and kill me, then I want it out right now."

"This is a dilemma, indeed," he whispered.

"I wish I knew what would happen, but until I do, I'm going to be freaking out."

He nodded and led me to the couch. I looked around, wondering where everyone was.

"Your mother and father slept in the extra room, last night."

I smiled. Finally, they were getting along. Yesterday had been a very long day and my mother seemed like she wasn't' ever going to forgive him.

"Listen," he said, locking our fingers together, "Everything will be fine. You know, I thought I would be the one who couldn't deal with this."

"I know, I'm stronger than this worrying, but I can't help it! I just want to know, Dante. I want to know that everything will be okay."

"But isn't surprise one of the beauties of life, my love?"

"Sure, sometimes. But don't you want to know? Don't you worry about my safety?"

"Of course I do! But, I also know that you can handle anything and this baby isn't stronger than you. I know this, Victoria."

I looked down at our hands. I knew he was right; what was I doing worrying about something that was so wonderful? We would have a beautiful baby to call our own. Sure, Xavier and Nikki were ours now, but they weren't _ours_. This baby is something that we have created together and it would be just perfect.

"You're right," I murmured, "I _am_ stronger than this. I'm done worrying."

"That's my girl," he beamed.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20: False Accusations

How could I be _pregnant_? I kept asking myself.

Countless days I sat outside, thinking about the ways this could happen. Yes, I knew that Dante and I had sex, but how could I get pregnant from a vampire? I know that I'm still half-human and all, but still, it's just….weird.

"Are you hungry, my love?" Dante walked outside and asked me. I sat on the porch and stared into the woods, as I had done for a few days now.

He sat down next to me and hugged me from the side.

"I don't think I'm pregnant," I said.

"And why is that?" His face turned into a puzzled expression.

"I just don't _feel_ like I am, you know?"

"This is true. I haven't noticed you eating more or anything, so I'm not quite sure. And another thing-I can't smell blood in you. So either the baby has other needs and it's not human at all, or you aren't pregnant."

"But….why would my mother lie like that?"

"Maybe she heard falsely."

"Can that happen?"

"Of course it can. She's a new vampire, Victoria. She can easily make mistakes."

I sat there for a moment, placing my hand under my chin. So many things have changed in the past few months; my father returned, my mother was saved, April left, putting us in control, I found Xavier, Nikki had become a part of our family, and so many other things between Dante and I.

We just didn't need this baby right now and as much as I felt a bond with it now, I didn't want it in me any longer.

I closed my eyes and focused on the part of my body the baby would be lying in. I wished it away along with its heartbeat.

"Please listen to my stomach and tell me what you hear," I asked.

Dante moved his head down to my stomach, listening intently. He then sat back up, staring into my face.

"What did you hear?"

"I just heard a very hungry girl," he said, smirking.

"So, there was no heartbeat? You didn't hear anything except for my actual stomach?"

"Nothing, my love."

"I just don't understand. My mother seemed so sure of it…." My voice trailed off. What could possibly sound like a heartbeat inside of me? How could my mother lie like that?

I stood up and walked toward the house briskly. Dante followed after, making sure I wasn't about to do anything brash.

I walked through the house and into the living room, finding my small family sitting around, watching TV.

I stood in front of my mother, arms crossed, looking down at her.

"Why did you lie, mom?"

She perked her head up with a bewildered look. "What are you talking about, Vic?"

"I'm not pregnant! Why would you lie?!"

"But….but I was sure of it!"

She leaned forward, pressing her ear to my stomach. She listened for a moment and then looked up at me, apologizing with her eyes.

"Why did you lie?!" I walked away and into the kitchen, pulling a chair out and smashing my forehead on the table.

I heard a few footsteps follow me in and pull chairs out beside me.

"It'll be okay, I promise, my love," Dante whispered in my ear.

"I'm sorry, Victoria, I thought I was hearing correctly! I'm sorry!" My mother lifted my head up and looked at me, tears streaming down my face.

"I didn't want it, but now that I _know_ it's not there, it kind of upsets me."

"Oh, honey! I'm so sorry; I didn't mean to upset you. I thought I heard a heartbeat. I was _sure_ of it."

"We all make mistakes," Dante said.

"It's okay. I guess that's one less thing I have to worry about, huh?" I looked to Dante.

"What else do you have to worry about, sweetie?" My mom pulled my face back to her.

"Everything, mom! You've been gone for so long and I thought you weren't ever coming back and I missed you so much and now I just don't know what to do!" I fell into her arms, crumbling.

She stroked my hair and started to sing to me, calming me instantly. I was glad that my mother was here, then again, I got used to her being "dead" and now that she was back, I had no clue how to act.

We couldn't just go back to the way we were, because everything had changed now.

"Just please tell me what has happened to you."

I raised my head up and wiped away my tears, nodding to her.

We spent the rest of the afternoon explaining to my mother all that had happened in the past year.

She just listened and nodded her head, acting like she knew what we were talking about.

"So, now you two are planning your wedding?" She asked.

Dante and I looked at each other and smiled, nodding our heads.

"I'm sorry, Dante, but I just don't know you well enough to give my daughter to you."

"Mom, believe me, he's more than worthy to be my husband."

"He's really a good guy," my dad chimed in.

She turned her head to look at him and worry crossed her face for a moment.

"Mom, really, I'm already changed, I mean, what else could possibly happen?" I asked.

"That's true, but, Victoria, don't you want to live with me again? Don't you want to be a family again?"

"I already have a family here," I whispered, looking to Dante, Xavier, and Nikki.

"I guess you're right," she looked down. She always found a way to make me feel bad. But, oh well, this wasn't going to change. I loved my mother, sure, but I'm a changed person. I'm more independent now and I don't need my mom as much as I used to. And, as much as I hate to think that I don't need her, I know that it's true. Plus, my father needed her now.

"Dad needs you."

She looked at him and the corner of her lip curled up into a little smile.

"Please take me back?" He begged. I really loved my dad now. He was much more than I ever expected and even though he wasn't there for my childhood, he never stopped thinking about me and loving me. As far as I know, as long as he's here now, I can forgive for the past.

"It will take time," she whispered to him. He nodded in agreement.

We all discussed things, figured things out, and cried over other things for the rest of the day, well, I did most of the crying.

I felt sort of empty knowing that a child wasn't inside of me. I felt like something was…._missing_ now, although there hadn't been anything there in the beginning.

I hated changing my mind so much about things, but I decided that this was for the best. I hadn't wanted a child, then I did, then I didn't, so it's best if I didn't.

Maybe I really did wish the baby away, but then again, I couldn't heal my mother when she needed it the most. Being this creature was a hard thing to deal with. I needed to find out my strength, my weaknesses, and some of the guidelines of being a darkling.

I really hadn't embraced my powers yet and I knew that I needed to. I knew I needed to find out things and to figure out things, and it would be much easier to do without a baby growing inside of me.

I'd rather not be the normal couple, anyway. If we had a baby, that would just make us average, wouldn't it? Although that's a crazy thought-a vampire husband, a hybrid wife, and some type of other creature as a child, not to mention Xavier and Nikki.

Who am I kidding? We could _never_ be normal.

"Dad? Could you teach me how to use my powers more effectively?" I asked as I skipped from the kitchen to the living room.

"Sure, kid, I was waiting for you to ask," he smiled, standing up out of his now favorite chair.

He followed me to the backyard, along with Nikki, Xavier, Dante, and my mother. They all sat on the porch, watching.

"Xavier, come over here, you have to learn this too, bud," my father shouted. He came running over in an instant, taking his place by my side.

"Okay, now, you already know that being a darkling means using your mind for everything, right?"

We both nodded.

"You can literally use your mind for _anything_; except humans, of course."

"Now, what do you mean by that? I know I couldn't heal mom when she was hurt, but what else can't we do?" Not that it really mattered anymore, seeing as all of the humans were wiped out, as far as I knew.

"You cannot control their minds, you cannot control their bodies, and you can't affect their free-will."

"Okay, but why can't we?"

"Their minds work much different than ours. They aren't exactly strong-minded, but their minds are stronger than vampire's."

"How do you figure?"

"Well, most vampires run on pure instincts. They need blood and they will do whatever they can to obtain it. But, there are some who are more independent in their thoughts and blood isn't the only thing they think about; such as the way Dante thinks."

"I see, well, that's kind of weird, but okay."

"You won't have to worry much about humans anymore, anyway."

We nodded.

"Now, Xavier," he turned to face him and Xavier stood there, a bright smile covering his entire face. "I want you to use your mind to move Nikki over here."

Xavier looked confused for a moment, and then closed his little eyes, concentrating on Nikki.

My eyes widened as I watched her almost hover over the grass slowly, moving so that she was right in front of Xavier.

"Good! You're a fast learner," my dad beamed.

Xavier opened his eyes and smiled, grabbing Nikki tightly. "I did it!" He said excitedly.

"Now, Nikki, move back to the porch. We're going to try something else."

We stood there and I wondered when it would be my turn, but I figured that Xavier should learn all he could. After all, I had already used my powers to fight a few times and I felt like I had a pretty good grasp on my abilities.

"Xavier, move all of them over here, please."

He closed his eyes again but this time, my mother, Dante, and Nikki all started to move forward. He opened his eyes and lost concentration, dropping them a couple inches onto the ground.

"Concentrate. You can do it," I whispered to him. He looked up at me and then back down, closing his eyes again.

They began to move again, closer this time, but he lost it again.

"It's okay, it all takes time. Do you feel tired at all?" My father asked him.

He shook his head. "I wanna do more!" He jumped up and down.

"All with time, kid."


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21: New Findings

"Xavier, you're so good already! How did this happen, dad?" I asked, watching my little boy.

"He must have a stronger mind than most."

"But, he's just a child, how could his mind be this strong already?"

"Sometimes it happens that way, kid."

"No fair! I had to work for mine! I thought that he wouldn't get his powers until he was nineteen, anyway?" I felt like such a child. But in all honesty, I was a little jealous of my little boy. He was so smart already and he could do so much with his mind, when I sat over here, basically clueless.

"That is true; usually it is a coming-of-age that brings out the powers. Maybe he's just much older in the mind."

"But, he still acts like a child, though. How is that possible?"

"Sure, he acts like a child, because he _is_ a child. But, he probably possesses the higher mind power."

"Hmm, that's interesting. I didn't think I could do this kind of stuff when I was his age."

"You didn't know you had the power, anyway. You might have been able to do more if you would have known."

"Yeah, but how did you find out you could do all of this?"

"Well, one day I got really mad and it started to storm. I was a little confused but I couldn't help feeling that it wasn't a coincidence. Then, I tried to bend spoons, do all of that weird stuff, and finally, I realized that I wasn't normal.

"I went to speak with Vincent, seeing as we used to be friends and he then looked up all sorts of things. He asked me questions about my powers, the way I was feeling, and what I thought I could do.

"We came to the conclusion that I was one of the long-lost darklings in existence."

"So, what did you do? I mean, obviously you didn't tell mom, did you?"

"No, I never told your mother until now. I felt terrible, but I knew that leaving would be the best for both of you. Once I realized I had these powers, there was nothing I could do to contain them; or so I thought."

"But, in reality, it was easier than you thought, right?"

"Right. Now, Xavier, let's do something a little more risky."

Xavier stood there looking cute as can be, swaying back and forth with his little arms crossed behind his back. He nodded once.

"Try to rip a tree out of the ground. Concentrate on the roots and moving them and then concentrate on picking the tree up. You might feel a little overwhelmed, but keep your mind on the prize."

I watched intently. I was so excited to see him using his mind in such a way. For a child, he was very smart and more than capable to do the exact things I was doing now.

He closed his eyes again and I could see the concentration on his face. It scrunched up and he tightened his little hands into fists.

I heard small movements from the tree standing in front of him, but he opened his eyes, shaking his head back and forth. I placed a hand on his shoulder, smiling down at him.

He closed his eyes again, going through the same motions and I heard some cracks of wood. I watched the tree start to pick up slightly, and then fall back down. I grabbed the tree with my mind so that it wouldn't fall over on top of us.

"Let it go, Victoria. Let him do it himself."

"But, it's going to fall!"

"Let it fall. He'll learn."

I let go of the tree and it stayed upright. I looked down and saw him concentrating once again, picking it up even higher this time.

I was all too proud of him. Sure, he wasn't really mine, but in a way, he was. We were exactly alike; so maybe having a baby wasn't the worst thing, considering I had him.

He lifted it up at least twenty feet off of the ground and looked up at me. I watched the tree with worry, hoping it wouldn't fall but somehow he kept his mind on the tree and on my face.

"Amazing," my dad muttered.

I looked to him, shrugging and turned back to the tree, watching it lower itself softly back into its resting spot.

"I did it!"

"Yes, you did! Good job, Xavier!" I picked him up and hugged him on my side. He nestled his head into my chest and then looked at me, smiling.

_You're my favorite_, he said in his mind.

_As you are mine,_ I said back.

I hugged him tightly one last time and set him down on the ground.

"More!" He said, jumping up and down.

"Okay, uhm, let's see here, what can we do now?" My dad stood there, his hand resting under his chin, staring at us both. "Oh! I know what we can do! Victoria, have you flown yet?"

My mouth fell open. I can…fly?! How weird, but awesome at the same time!

"We can fly?!"

"Fly!" Xavier jumped up again.

"Of course we can. Vic, I told you we can do whatever we want. That is the beauty of our powers."

"Is there anything we _can't_ do?" I asked.

"Well, we'll get to that in a moment. Other than the whole human thing, there aren't many restrictions on our powers."

"Okay, let's do this!"

I looked over to Dante and he smiled. _She's so wonderful_, he thought.

I looked back to my dad and he was already hovering off of the ground around two feet in the air.

I concentrated on my feet coming off of the ground, but nothing happened.

"Why isn't it working?" I asked.

"Are you concentrating on your feet?" He asked, falling slowly to the ground and walking over to me.

"It's not workin'!" Xavier shouted.

"Victoria, concentrate harder."

I closed my eyes this time, concentrating all of my mind power onto my feet moving into the air. Nothing. Why didn't it work?

"Nope," I said sadly.

"I wonder why it isn't working. Xavier, try it."

I glanced over and watched him having no success either.

"Well, this sucks! Why isn't it working?!"

Dante walked over to my side and grabbed my hand. "Do you think it's because they are part vampire?"

My dad stood there in deep thought. I heard tons of explanations running through his head, but he agreed with Dante in the end.

"That could be it," he finally said.

"Victoria, try to transport yourself. You've only done it a couple times. See, vampires can only transport to places we are familiar with or places we have seen. And, we can only transport to the outside of houses and buildings. We cannot show up inside of someone's house."

"So, that's why we always show up outside of the mansion?"

"Exactly. Try to transport yourself inside of the house."

Xavier and I looked at each other and then closed our eyes. I concentrated on the living room couch that Dante and I usually sat on.

Just as quickly as I closed my eyes, I opened them and examined my surroundings. I found myself sitting on the leather sofa in front of the TV. It worked, it really worked!

A second later, I saw Xavier's little body show up next to mine. He looked at me and smiled, jumping into the air.

"Yay! We did it, we did it!" He shouted.

"Let's go back out and tell them it worked!"

We ran back out with huge grins on our faces and everyone watched as we took our places back in front of my dad.

"It worked!" Xavier shouted again.

"So, you can't fly, but you can transport yourselves into people's homes? That could be pretty useful if we need to corner someone in their home."

"Yeah, it could. I'm kind of sad we can't exactly fly, but oh well, this is almost as good!" I laughed. Who was I kidding? This was completely _awesome_!

"Let's do more, Uncle Damien!" I looked at Xavier for a moment, turning my head. _Uncle_? Did he just call my dad _Uncle_ Damien?

_Don't worry, I told him he could call me that_, my dad whispered in my mind.

_Okay, I was about to say,_ I laughed back.

"Yeah, let's find out what else we _can't_ do," I said.

"That sounds like a good idea," he looked as though he was deep in thought again. He perked his head up, "What about shape-shifting? Have you tried that?"

"We can shape-shift?! That's insane! Okay, this is getting a little crazy, dad!"

"I told you we could do any and everything, did I not?" He smirked.

"I guess….but geez, that's just crazy."

"Okay, Victoria. What is your favorite animal?"

"Panda bear, duh," I answered.

"Okay, focus on that animal. The same with you, Xavier."

My dad closed his eyes and I watched as his body slowly started to take the shape of his animal of choice. I couldn't tell what it was at first and then I started to watch as a beak started to take shape on his face.

He turned into a hawk, inch by inch in front of my very eyes. He fell to the ground softly and looked at us, blinking his beady eyes.

_Try it_, my dad said.

I looked over at Xavier and he already had his eyes closed, concentrating on his animal.

I closed mine then, but switched the creature I wanted to turn into. I chose a dog instead, how cliché, huh?

I opened one of my eyes and watched Xavier out of my peripheral vision. He slowly started to turn into a cat. Little whiskers grew out of his face and his hands and feet turned into paws. I couldn't understand why this wasn't happening to me. Was I losing my powers slowly?

_It's not working_, I told my dad.

I looked at him and watched as he slowly turned back to his human shape. He walked forward a little and looked at me with a confused expression.

"I don't know why you can't do all of these things. I just don't understand why you're so different, Vic."

"I don't either, but I don't like it! Why can't I do it?" I was starting to get a bit aggravated. The two of them were having such fun changing into animals and such and I was sitting here, looking like I've been lying that I even had powers.

"Maybe it's another downfall of being half-vampire?"

"But, that can't be. Xavier is a hybrid, as well."

"True. Maybe Nikki's venom is different than Dante's?"

"Well, yeah but how could my powers just disappear?"

"Maybe the venom affected you more than it affected Xavier."

"Well, that could be, but I just don't understand how it could be so different."

"Maybe we should see if Dante can do anything we can?"

"What would that prove?"

"Maybe he obtained some of your powers through your blood."

My eyes widened and I looked over at Dante. How could that be so, though? He obtained some of my powers and somehow, I lost them?

"Dante, come over here, please?" My dad asked.

He walked over quickly, taking his place beside me once again.

"Do you really think it's possible that I have some of Victoria's powers from her blood?"

"It could be. Why don't you try to shape-shift?"

"Damien, I have no clue how to do any of the things you speak of. You must explain; you cannot just simply _ask_ me to do things."

My dad laughed lightly. "Right, I'm sorry. Okay, Dante, close your eyes and concentrate on an animal. Any animal, but make sure that your mind does not stray from the shape."

I looked over to Dante and he closed his eyes, creasing his forehead. His face started to change and shape itself into another form, although I wasn't sure what it was yet.

He grew whiskers, as Xavier did, but his nose turned itself into a snout. He grew at least two times in size and very thick few sprouted from his pores. His hands and feet turned into huge paws and his teeth grew as sharp as knives.

I moved away a few inches and looked up at him in awe. Wow, he really did receive some of my powers. This was absolutely insane.

"So, does this mean that Nikki has some of Xavier's powers?"

I looked over to Dante again and he slowly turned back to himself. He shook his head and stared at my dad, looking for answers.

"It could be possible. But, then again, I'm not quite sure Xavier had powers yet."

"What do you mean? I thought you said that I had powers, but I just didn't know about them?"

"Well, technically, you obtain your powers after you use them at least once. Xavier never knew, and so he never used them. I highly doubt Nikki has any of them."

Nikki ran over next to Xavier and shook her head at me. "I was trying the whole time Dante was changing, and nothing happened, so your dad must be right."

I nodded. "Well, I guess that makes sense, then. Dante, you're half-darkling now, I suppose," I smiled up at him.

"I guess so…."


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22: To Be Honest…

I loved the fact that Dante was part of me now, but then again, I was a little jealous that he stole some of my powers from me.

He was all too excited to join along and be at my side while we used our abilities together, but I was feeling a little selfish. Why did he have to take some of my powers before I even found out I had them? It just wasn't fair!

That night, I lay in bed staring at the ceiling. Dante rested his head on my shoulder and I put my arm underneath him, pulling him close.

"Something on your mind, my love?" He asked.

"Yeah."

"And what's that?"

"Never mind, everything is fine, don't worry about it."

"You're jealous of me?"

I looked down at him. "What did you just say?"

"You're jealous of me? But, why?"

"I never said I was jealous of you, Dante."

"Yes you did, you just said it not a moment ago."

"Crap; now you can read my thoughts?!"

"I….read your thoughts?"

"Well, I didn't say anything and you heard me! Oh crap!" I rolled my eyes.

"Why are you so upset about this, Victoria?" He said, propping himself up on an arm.

"I was different for once, Dante, and now it's like….I'm nothing."

He turned my head to face him and he looked angry; I felt terrible. I knew I shouldn't be feeling like this, but I couldn't help it. It wasn't his fault, yet he should have known, right?

"You couldn't ever be considered as _nothing_."

"Well, there isn't any special about me anymore."

"Of course there is! What are you saying?! Seriously, do you hear yourself talk?!"

"Yes, I hear myself and I know that what I'm saying is true. I can't do the same things my father and Xavier can do. I'm not a true darkling anymore."

"Xavier cannot do all of the things Damien can. What are you talking about, Victoria?! I'm sorry but you're being completely selfish."

"Yeah, I know I am. But, why didn't you know that this would happen?"

"I don't know hardly anything about darklings, I thought you knew that?"

"I know but, I thought you were friends with my dad, why didn't you know?"

"Victoria, we just found all of this out today! Calm yourself, my love. You are everything special in this world and I cannot understand why you're thinking this just because you can't _shape-shift_."

"Well, maybe it's more than that!"

"Then tell me what's wrong!"

I sat up, crossing my arms in front of me like a child would, although I thought I was being completely reasonable. This was _my_ gift; something I could call my own, and it was taken from me just as quickly as I had realized I had it.

"You think I _stole_ your powers?! Are you completely serious?!" Dante picked himself up until he was sitting up and stared at me, anger flaring in his eyes.

"Well, you're the one who _bit_ me, aren't you?!"

Tears filled his eyes and he stood up, walking to the door and leaving me on the bed by myself.

As soon as he left, I felt terrible. I curled myself up into a tight ball and cried for the rest of the night, hoping he could find it in his heart to forgive me.

I decided to apologize, since I obviously wasn't going to get any sleep.

I got up from the bed and walked out the door, closing it quietly. I moved down the stairs slowly and made my way to the living room. I peaked my head around the corner but he wasn't there.

I decided to look outside, knowing he might be there, staring at the stars. Lo and behold, he was.

I sat next to him and he looked up at the sky, his tears sparkling in the moonlight.

"That was a low blow, on my part," I whispered.

"You're damn right it was," he said, keeping his eyes on the sky.

Tears ran down my face and I stared at his profile, wishing he would look at me. I slowly turned his head toward me and he pulled with all of his might against my mind.

"I'd rather not look at you right now, if you don't mind," he whispered.

I cried silently next to him, waiting for any type of response.

"I'm sorry, Dante, I shouldn't have said what I did and I shouldn't be thinking what I am."

"No, you shouldn't be thinking that and you shouldn't have said what you did, but you can't take it back now, can you?" He then looked over at me, "And I can't take back that I bit you. I thought we were over this; I thought you were fine with it."

"I was. But, when I found out I lost some of my powers, it kind of hurt, Dante. I'm completely happy that you are able to do all of this, but then again, it's kind of sad for me, you know?"

"I understand, but what I don't like is that you blamed it on me. That hurt me, love."

"I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you; I just wasn't thinking when I was talking."

"I accept your apology, but can you accept mine?"

"Of course," I whispered, resting my head on his shoulder.

"Aren't you tired? I thought you would have been asleep by now."

"I couldn't sleep knowing I had upset you."

"Well, I'm fine now, so you can sleep."

"I'd rather sit out here with you, if you don't mind."

"Of course not, my love."

We spent the rest of the night and morning sitting on the porch together, staring up at the deep blue and purple sky. The wind whistled lightly and bustled the trees, which were still mostly dead from the cruel winter.

"Are we still going through with the wedding?" He asked, breaking the silence between us.

"Of course! That reminds me, I have to pick up my dress from the mansion. And, we have to start doing sweeps around here to make sure other humans aren't being tortured like my mother was."

"Yes, I had forgotten about that. That's a good idea; I'll talk to Damien about it tomorrow. I can't see your dress until the wedding day, correct?"

"That's right, I guess. I'm not really up on the rules of weddings, but I think you're right," I laughed.

"You should bring your mother, Xavier, and Nikki tomorrow and Damien and I will start inspecting the states."

I nodded. We both got up and headed inside the house, hand in hand.

"I can't wait to marry you," I whispered.

"Nor can I, my love, nor can I."

We met my mother and father in the kitchen and sat down at the table next to them. My dad was eating a bowl of cereal and my mom was sitting next to him with her arms resting on the table.

"Good morning," she greeted us with a smile. Her eyes were still red, which scared me, but I could tell that they were dulling and would be back to their normal brown any time.

"Hey, guys, how are you this morning?" I asked.

"We're doing just great!"

Not two minutes after we entered the room, Xavier and Nikki followed in, skipping together. I swear that one day they will kill me with how cute they are.

"Hi!" They shouted in unison, taking their seats at the table.

"Are you hungry, X?" Dante asked, bustling through the cupboards.

"Yeah! Aren't you hungry, Vikki?"

"Yeah, I guess I am a little hungry," I said, hearing my stomach rumble.

"Alright then, eggs, bacon, and toast it is!"

"We have eggs like every day, Dante!" I rolled my eyes like a child.

"Fine then, you make something Ms. Smarty Pants," he stuck his tongue out at me.

I loved how he was becoming more….human, I suppose. He seemed like he was really loving being with me and our new family, and that meant everything to me. He was actually joking around more and becoming more comfortable in his own skin.

"I'm just kidding, you can make my food," I smiled widely at him.

He went back to what he was doing and I turned to face my mother. She was brushing Nikki's hair, humming ever so lightly.

"Mom," I asked. She turned to look at me while she stroked Nikki's hair with the little silver brush. "Do you want to see my wedding dress?"

She almost jumped out of her seat with excitement. "Oh that would be wonderful! Where is it?!" She started looking around, basically freaking out.

"It's at April's old mansion. I was wondering if you wanted to go today. Oh! And we can get your dress too, if you want?"

"My dress? For what, Vic?"

"Well, don't you want to be my maid of honor?"

"Me?! You're maid of honor?! Victoria, I'm your mother, shouldn't you pick one of your friends?"

"Mom, I don't have many friends who are girls, and plus, you've always been my _best_ friend."

"Oh, honey, that would be great. Thanks so much."

"You're welcome. The least I should do is make you part of the wedding."

"Oh, by the way; Dante?" She asked. He turned around where he was cooking our breakfast and looked at her, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes, Destiny?"

"Who's marrying you guys, anyway?"

"I have a friend who was a priest in his human life. Although it doesn't really matter anymore, because there aren't really any laws, I've always wanted a traditional wedding, and I've found that Victoria would like nothing more, as well."

"So, it'll be in a church?"

"Actually, we are having the wedding at the mansion. They have such a large back yard and Victoria finds it absolutely beautiful there."

She looked back to me and I nodded my head in agreement with him.

"Yeah, I told April I wanted it there. I figured we could have the reception and everything right there in the back yard. That way, everyone can stay in one place, you know?"

"That's a good idea. Well, when do you want to go?"

"We can leave when I'm done eating, if that's okay?"

"Sounds good to me. And what are _you_ guys going to do today?" She stared at my dad and Dante.

"I was actually going to ask Damien if he would mind accompanying me to explore around here to make sure that nothing terrible is going on. After all, Victoria and I are supposed to be reining this place."

"Where are we going?" Nikki asked, wide-eyed.

"You're coming with us, of course!" I said. Her face lit up and she looked at Xavier who almost jumped out of his chair at the same time.


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23: Peace

I finished my breakfast and we decided that it was time to leave.

"Do you want to try to transport on your own, mom?" I asked as we walked out the front door. Dante had told me that he would take care of the dishes until he and my dad were ready to leave.

"I suppose," she muttered.

"If you're too scared, you can just hold onto my hand."

"What do I have to do?"

"It's easy!" Nikki chimed in, "Just think about the place you wanna go to and then 'poof' you're there!"

"But, where exactly do I want to go?" My mother asked with a puzzled expression.

I laughed, "That's true, you've never been to the mansion. Well, okay, grab my hand and I'll just take you there with me," I said, extending my arm out to her.

She grabbed my hand and we arrived in front of the large house, waiting for Xavier and Nikki to show up.

They popped up shortly after and we walked to the front of the house. It was weird being here without April or the other elders inside, but I guess it didn't really matter; at least I wasn't going to be harassed while I was here, this time.

"This is my house!" Nikki shouted as her and Xavier ran up, holding hands and opening the large door.

"Oh goodness, this house is absolutely beautiful!" My mother said breathless as she looked around the property, scanning the area.

"I know, isn't it great?!" I said, running up the stairs and into the house.

My mom walked slowly, taking in all of the house and surroundings, cranking her neck back and forth to look at the beautiful paintings that covered the ceiling.

"Come on, let's go upstairs!" I said excitedly.

I ran upstairs and into April's old bedroom, throwing her closet doors open and walking inside the huge room. It was full of garments still, and I was wondering when she would be returning for her clothes-if she ever was.

"Wow, I didn't think this house could be any more flawless, but now that I see this room, I'm definitely proven wrong!" My mom laughed as she checked out the room. I wished she would just get her butt in here so she could see my dress, but I'd let her have her fun.

"I always wished to have a home like this, Victoria," she said as she walked into the closet.

She gasped again and started looking through the clothes, flipping through each item slowly, taking in each of their individual beauties.

"You can take whatever you want, mom," I muttered, pulling my dress off of one of the racks.

"Really? April doesn't care?"

"I'm sure she doesn't. I mean, she left with a suitcase, and plus, she can just go and get more clothes wherever she ended up."

"Oh, wow! Well, I'll have to look through them more carefully later," she exclaimed, walking over to where I was standing. I held up the dress in full view and hung it above one of the full-length mirrors.

"Isn't it pretty?" I asked, gawking at its magnificence.

"Hm, I'll have to see it on you," she said, turning her head and placing a hand under her chin.

"Okay! Get out then!" I laughed, pushing her out the door.

I walked back to my dress and stared at it a moment, remembering the day I had picked it out. It was the same day I found Xavier, so that made it even more special.

I undressed quickly and unhooked the dress from the hanger, slipping it over my body. I zipped up the back and admired myself in the mirror, smiling at my new-found beauty.

I was sure that when I had my hair and makeup done that Dante would probably faint at my feet. It was the first time in my life that I had ever thought that I looked great, and I wasn't about to let it slip by.

"You can come in now," I shouted at the door. I stood there, still looking at myself and watched my mom walk in the door.

"Oh my God, Victoria! You look beautiful, sweetheart!" She pronounced, running up behind me and hugging me.

"I told you it was pretty!"

"Honey, you look absolutely flawless. I mean, wow, Dante is going to love this, huh?" She eyed me up and down.

"I know, I'm so excited! Mom, I really hope that you know how much I love him. I want you to accept us and I want you to accept this marriage."

"I know, and I promise to do a better job at that. It's just….well, I lost you so quickly and now that we're back in each other's lives, it's a little hard to just give you away again."

"I understand, but you have to understand that I'm an adult now and that I've changed. I love Dante and he loves me and he proposed and it's going to be great! I promise I'll be fine, and look; now you have dad back in your life! Aren't you happy?"

She looked down for a moment, "I want to accept your father's apology, but I just can't handle the fact that he left us alone like that. He knew we had problems and he still didn't care, you know?"

"But he did it for the best. He couldn't control his emotions when he found out he had powers, mom, he didn't want to hurt us."

"Well, I suppose you're right, but it's going to take time, Vic. Don't you go thinking this is all done and over with. I love your father still, but it's going to be hard to trust him now."

I nodded once and turned to look at myself again. "So, how do you think you should do my hair?"

"Me? You're going to let me do your hair?! Oh, I'm so excited!" She started tossing my hair around and smiling brightly at me in the mirror.

"I think I want it down with soft curls; do you think that would look pretty?"

"Well, aren't you going to wear a veil, sweetie?"

"I decided not to wear one; unless you think I should, of course."

"You can do what you want, but we'll at least put some cute barrettes in your hair or something along those lines. Does that sound good?"

"That sounds great! Oh, mom, I'm just so glad you're here and alive!" I turned around quickly and hugged her as tight as I could, meaning to never let her go.

"I know; I'm glad I'm here too. I would die if I missed my little girl's wedding!"

"By the way, do you know where Nikki and Xavier ran off to?" I asked, looking behind her and out the door.

"I think they went out back to play. We could check though, if you're worried."

"Oh, I'm not worried, I was just wondering since I thought Nikki would want to put on her flower girl dress for you."

"Oh! She's going to be so adorable!"

"I know, and Xavier's going to be the ring bearer," I smiled.

"See, you don't need to get pregnant, Vic. You have the two cutest, most wonderful children in your life, already."

"Were you really that upset when you thought I was?"

"To tell you the truth, I was upset. I also didn't know Dante at the time, either, so I was a bit taken back by it."

"I guess I can understand, but if I _do_ end up getting pregnant, are you going to hate me forever?" I put on my best puppy-dog face.

"Of course not! I could never hate you; I might be a little disappointed, but I could never hate you. And, you're getting married now, so if you do end up getting pregnant, it won't be that big of a deal."

"Thanks, mom. Well, I'm going to get out of this dress and find Nikki so she can show you hers. Oh, and did you want to shop for yours, today?"

"Sure, if you want to. I'll be in the bedroom," she walked to the door and peaked around it for a moment, smiling, and then it closed, leaving me alone again.

I threw the dress off quickly and hung it back on the hanger and pulled my clothes on. One good thing about wearing comfortable clothes is that they can easily be pulled off if need be.

I grabbed my dress and walked out of the room, but I couldn't find my mother.

"Mom?" I called out as I skipped downstairs.

I ran out the front door, but had no success of finding her there, either.

"Maybe they're out back," I muttered, walking around the large house. I glanced around the corner of the mansion but I didn't see anyone. _Where the hell could they be?_

_Dad, is mom with you?_

_No, she isn't. Did you lose her?_

_Well, she was just in the room with me, and now she's gone. I can't find Xavier and Nikki either. I'm starting to get worried._

_We'll be there in a second._

_Okay, hurry._

I walked around some more, scoping the area for any signs that they might be here. I saw some water splashed along the walkway and figured that the kids must have been playing, but I couldn't find them anywhere.

"Victoria?" Dante said as he walked out the back door, worry written across his face.

"I don't know where they are! I looked all through the house and back here, and I can't find them!"

My dad walked out a second after and started searching around the yard, looking through the trees and around the house, but he couldn't find them, either.

"Where are they?!" I shouted, almost dropping my dress on the ground.

"Look for them!" Dante said, grabbing the gown from my arms.

I closed my eyes and searched for them, but I couldn't find anything. I saw their figures, but they were in a black background. Where could they be?

"I'm starting to get scared! All I see is darkness around them! Their all walking together, but I can't see where they are!"

My dad then shut his eyes and wrinkled his forehead, looking for them as well.

"I can't see them, either. This is so odd; I wonder what's going on?"

"Dad! What should we do?! Where could they be?!" I started screaming. Clouds started to cover the sky and I told myself to calm down. I couldn't have rain all over my dress, could I? Although I was completely freaking out in my mind, I had to lock it away inside so that it didn't affect the outside world.

"Calm down, we'll find them!" Dante whispered hardly.

I fell to my knees and threw my hands on my face, sobbing lightly. I had finally found my mother, and everything was going fine, and now it was all happening again. What is wrong with me? Why can't I just have a little _peace_?

Dante kneeled beside me, hugging me tightly. He whispered he loved me and told me everything would be okay, but how can I believe him when it never is?

"I just want it to end," I said through tears.

"Don't worry, we'll find them, I promise you this," he sighed, lifting my chin up with his index finger. He leaned in and kissed me softly and in that one moment of love, the bad thoughts flew away with the soft breeze.


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24: Internal Turmoil

"Where should we look first, dad?" I asked, panicked.

"I'm not too sure. Did April tell you where she was going when she left?"

"No, she didn't tell me at all, which is why I'm so confused."

"Try looking for her and I'll try searching for the other elders, okay?"

I nodded and closed my eyes. I couldn't find April, and once I knew I couldn't see her, I _knew_ she took my mother, Xavier, and Nikki. I knew it was her, it just had to be.

"I don't see her," I whispered.

"I don't see the other elders, either."

"So, where could they be?" Dante asked.

"I really have no clue. I didn't know April all that well and I just honestly don't know where they could be," my dad answered.

"Maybe we should try to feel for Xavier. You said we can feel darklings, correct?"

"Yeah, that's a good point. Try it and I'll try as well."

I closed my eyes and imagined Xavier lying in my arms. I could feel his energy, but I wasn't sure where it was coming from. It felt very far away and I could tell that they weren't in the United States. They were across the ocean somewhere, but I just couldn't put my finger on their location.

"They're really far away, aren't they?" I asked.

"Yes, it seems like they might be around Italy, somewhere. Do you feel that?"

"Yeah, but I couldn't tell where they were, I could just tell that they weren't in the States."

"Dante, see if you can feel him. I'd like to know what type of powers you have now."

I looked over to Dante and saw him closing his eyes and concentrating. He opened his eyes slowly and started shaking his head.

"Nope, I tried, but I'm honestly not quite sure what to do. But anyway, we don't have the time to waste on this. Damien, if you can find where they are, shouldn't we be leaving right away?"

"Yeah, I was just curious though. You can't blame me for asking you to try," he smiled, "So, they're in Italy and if we transport there, and then feel for Xavier, his energy should be even stronger, so we can find them that way."

"It sounds like a good plan to me," I shrugged. "But, how will we know where to go? I've never been to Italy before."

"Excuse me, but I spent twenty years of my life there," Dante laughed, raising his hand in the air.

"That's right! I'm sorry, I forgot," I giggled back.

"Just hold onto me and I'll take you guys there," Dante said, holding his hand out to me.

I took it and held my hand out to my father and we arrived in the most beautiful place I've ever seen.

Honestly, I almost forgot what we were supposed to be doing when we arrived in Italy. The streets were bare, but the buildings were the definition of flawless. Sure, they were a bit cracked and broken in some places, but it was a breath of fresh air to see this town instead of the towns in the states.

"Dante, you lived here? I've always wanted to come here, but I never thought I'd have enough money. It's a funny thing that all I had to do was hold onto your hand."

"Yes, we used to have a lot of tourists coming this way. Would you like to see my old home?"

"Maybe we should wait until we find the children and Victoria's mother," my dad chimed in.

"Oh, that's true. I'm getting ahead of myself. Now, can you feel his energy stronger yet, Damien?"

My dad closed his eyes and felt for Xavier, as did I, and I could feel him almost like he was touching me. It was a slight tingle feeling, but I could tell it was Xavier. He had a certain aura and energy about him that was very distinguishable. But, I still couldn't tell the exact location of where he was, which was very frustrating.

"Can you tell where he is, dad?" I asked, annoyance ringing through my voice.

"They're just a block away!" He shouted, running straight forward.

I turned to Dante and shrugged, taking off after my father. He ran quickly, but I soon found that I could catch up to him. Come to think of it, I hadn't run too much since I found out I had powers, in the first place.

He started to slow down after we turned a few corners and I stopped next to him, dropping my jaw.

"The….Coliseum?" I said, breathless.

"Why in the world would they be _here_?" My dad asked, looking over the tall building.

"I can't believe why they would be here, but I would imagine we should be ready for anything," Dante answered.

"Well, let's go inside, I guess," I said, taking a few steps forward and through one of the doors.

The whole place was broken-down, yet it was even more beautiful than when I had seen it in my dreams. I walked through the opening where doors used to be and looked up and around me, taking in all of the scenery it had to offer-which was a very large amount.

Dante walked up faster beside me and grabbed my hand, staring straight ahead as we walked into the large battle-zone.

We gazed ahead and saw some figures, but I couldn't make out who or what they were. I could feel the energy from Xavier the strongest here, and I knew that he was ahead somewhere.

I heard a few muffled screams and some sounds of the cracking of a whip, but I couldn't tell who it was. It was probably my mother, I'd imagined.

"Let's go!" I whispered, running forward.

Dante held onto my hand and kept up with me while my dad followed closely behind.

I gasped as the scene finally came into view.

Nikki and Xavier had duct tape over both of their mouths and their hands were tied behind their backs together, rendering them useless. Xavier had tears in his eyes and Nikki looked strong, although I could feel that she was terrified.

It seemed like they were taking turns with the beatings-and now was my mother's turn. She was strapped to a table that lay on the ground, a blindfold covered her eyes and her mouth was also taped closed.

I walked a little to the left, trying to see who's face it was that was causing all of the pain to my loved ones. Of course-who else could it be?

"April!" I screamed, running toward her. I stopped abruptly and felt something holding me back-a very strong force. I looked around to see all of the elders staring at me in concentration.

She must have taught them some of her ways when she had left. I knew it was her, of course it was her! Damn her!

"Let go of me!" I screamed, trying to move my feet, but having no success.

I looked behind me and Dante and my father were glued to the ground as well. I knew I was stronger than this, but the stress of the situation drained me.

"Dad, can you move?!" I shouted back to him.

"I'm trying!" I saw his legs start to move just a tiny bit but I could tell that it was wearing him out.

Dante almost fell to his knees from the force, but I kept my ground. I felt like a statue and I couldn't do anything as I watched my mother be ruthlessly beat for the second time in my life.

"This isn't happening," I told myself. "I'm stronger than this."

I closed my eyes and I could feel the energy of many strong hands holding my feet to the ground and pushing me from the front, keeping me in place.

I tried to pry their grip from me, but once I would get a hand off, another would grab back on. I knew the only way I could get them off was to knock them all off at once.

I started to growl and build my strength up. I threw my hands in the air and broke all of their arms at once, making them all wince in pain. I freed myself and ran at April again, full speed, lunging for her throat.

"That's it! This time, you're going to die!" I screamed at her.

She turned her head and an expression of worry flew across her face. She put her hands into the air as I knocked her down, digging my teeth into her throat.

"Victoria! Let go!" She shrieked, but I didn't stop. This was the last straw for me. I was completely done with her, and if she didn't die today, she would be really lucky.

I dug my teeth in farther, holding her hands down to her sides. I could feel her bones breaking as I put all of my bodyweight on her wrists. I pushed down harder and could feel her arms sinking down into the ground with my power.

I could hear a few more screams and rips coming from behind me and figured that my father was getting his revenge. Not to mention, Dante.

I ripped my teeth from her throat, pulling out her jugular vein with me. I tasted a very pungent flavor gushing from her open wound and turned my head with disgust.

She then made her move, knocking me to the ground under her and trying to push me down, the same way I did to her.

"You're going to pay!" She shouted, pulling a large chunk of hair out of my head.

I pushed her back with my mind, making her fly at least fifty feet into the air. She smashed against the ground, crying out in pain, leaving me the okay to get up.

I pushed myself off of the ground standing up straight and confident. She wouldn't be getting away, this time.

She stood back up and stared at me, her hair covering her face. I could see her bright red eye peaking out with anger, but I knew that I had to have looked much deadlier than she ever could.

I glanced to my side and saw a heap of bodies in the midst of war; my father and Dante being the center. Gargling sounds and ripping sounds tore through the walls of the Coliseum, echoing into the air.

I looked back to April, who was standing in the same position as she had been.

I closed my eyes again, imaging a piece of the earth ripping up from underneath her.

I heard her scream and opened my eyes again, watching her fly into the air and the dirt from the ground raining back down.

I held my hand up, keeping her in the air and then smashed her back down as hard as I could, fracturing more of her brittle bones. She lay there for a second, breathing heavily, but honestly, I didn't care one bit.

I know last time I thought I would kill her, but this time, I _knew_ I would kill her.

She tried to stand back up, stumbling a little and holding her head, but she just cracked her neck from side-to-side and straightened herself up, flipping her hair behind her.

"You still want more?" I asked with a smile.

"I could do this all day," she laughed.

This set me off. First of all, she kidnaps my mother, Xavier, and Nikki, and now she wants to kill me? I keep wondering what her _real_ problem is!

"What is your problem anyway, April?!" I shouted over to her.

"I don't think that's any of your business!" She screamed back.

"I think it kind of is my business, considering you're trying to kill my family and I for nothing!"

"You wouldn't be interested anyway. Just shut up, Victoria, you're not worth it."

"What are you talking about?! April, I've only always been nice to you, and you just keep screwing me over! I just don't get it!"

"I'm never going to tell you, so you can just give it up, okay?"

"Whatever, it's your death-wish, then."

"We'll see about that," she smirked.

I closed my eyes, trying to break her barrier to her mind again, but before I could reach it, I felt myself being thrown backwards and into a stone wall. Luckily, it didn't hurt at all, and I just laughed.

"Nice try!" I shouted to her, running back to where she was standing.

"Quit trying to hear my thoughts!"

"Then just tell me what's wrong with you! Were you lying last time?!"

"I told you that's none of your business!"

I closed my eyes again, getting closer to her wall, climbing over it. I had broken into her fourtrace that is her mind and crawled into her very deepest thoughts.

_Dante should love me, what does he see in this girl anyway? Why does she get to have the life I've always wanted?! I hate her!_

"You want Dante, do you?!" I screamed, opening my eyes and throwing her thoughts away.

"You wouldn't understand!"

"Of course I wouldn't, but you know, he fell in love with _me_, just give it up!"

"I'll never give up hope that I'll kill you one day and he'll want me!"

"So, this fight is over _jealousy_?!"

"Whatever it may be, you're not worthy of his love!"

Dante spun around, growling and I looked over to him.

"April, I have never and will never love you!" He yelled.

"Why did you lie to me?! Why did you give me hope?!"

"When did that ever happen?!" He screamed back, taking my side.

"You know when, Dante. When Vincent left me, you comforted me, you held me, you told me things I wanted him to say to me. You gave me hope, and then _this_ little bitch comes around and you forget all about me!" She shot me an angry look.

"Listen, April," I started, "I never _asked_ Dante to love me. It was his choice, and obviously you weren't right for him! So give it up!"

"April, I knew what Vincent did to you was terrible, and I wanted to make you feel better. There was never any feeling behind it except the feelings of friendship that I held for you. I thought you understood that."

"You lied to me!" She screeched.

I needed to end this now. I can't deal with this anymore, I'm completely done. I threw my face to the sky and the earth started to rumble. Pebbles flew in the air, rain started to pour, lightning lit the sky. My hair blew in the violent wind and I brought my face back down, feeling myself shift into something.

The power I thought I didn't have was now showing itself, and I was more than excited to use it in the accomplishment of killing my enemy.


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25: Shape-Shifting

I screamed as I felt my mind becoming more animalistic. I could feel my hands growing larger, my body growing scales. My face felt like it was tearing apart and my arms started to burn like they were on fire.

I looked around in confusion, _what the hell is happening to me?_

_You're shape-shifting, Vic!_ My dad screamed in his mind.

I looked down to see green, glittering scales covering my body. My hands and feet were now composed of large talons with long sharp nails protruding out of my fingers. My vision was the clearest it's ever been, and I could smell flowers I'd imagined were miles away.

I was absolutely beautiful, and positively deadly.

I laughed, but it sounded more like a roar and I flapped my angel-looking wings, taking flight above the scene below. I hovered for a moment, trying to get the feel of my wings, but was overtaken by the astonishing feeling of being able to fly.

"Is that Victoria?!" April screamed.

"Wow, that's amazing," Dante said breathless.

For some reason, I wasn't thinking like myself. The animal I had become took over my mind and made me plummet to the earth, crushing April underneath my mighty weight.

I ripped one of her arms off, venom squirting all over me, tasting terrible. I shook my head and went back in, tearing more of her flesh from her body.

She passed out from shock, but I wouldn't quit. As much as my human mind was telling my animal body to stop, it wouldn't. I couldn't stop myself from tearing her to pieces, bit by bit.

_Take it easy, kid! _My dad screamed in his thoughts, but I wouldn't hear them. I couldn't hear anything other than the ripping sounds of April's flesh.

I flung her body parts all over the place, spreading them out so that she didn't have a chance to put herself back together.

I tore her organs from her torso, chewing them up for a moment, and then tossing them to the side. She tasted terrible, or else I might have had more fun tasting her limbs.

Last was her head. I stood up above her and put my foot into the air, smashing it down onto her skull. It crushed instantly, and that was it.

I walked over to the pieces of her body, one by one, spraying them with the fire that emitted itself from my mouth. I was a terrible dragon, ruthlessly killing the woman who had once been my friend.

After all of the pieces were burned and the stench of her flesh filled the air, I shifted myself back to my human form. For some reason, it was easier to tell my body to go back to being a human.

I dropped to my knees and looked around me. I saw piles of ashes spread throughout the battle-ground, lightly floating in the air and flying away.

I put my hands over my face, crying into them as I started to regret my actions. I hated myself for killing her, but what else was I suppose to do?! She would have killed me first, if she would have had her way.

Dante came running over and I could hear his footsteps in the dirt. He kneeled beside me, hugging my tightly. I stood up, bringing him up with me, and held him deeply.

"I….I killed her," I muttered.

"It's okay, you had to. You had to do it, sweetheart," he whispered in my ear. I hated myself, sure, but I knew that I would have been in her position if I hadn't shifted.

"How did I do that?" I asked, staring at him, wide-eyed.

"I don't know, but it was amazing. I'd never imagined a dragon could be that beautiful."

"Thanks for trying to make me feel better," I said, lowering my head to his chest. I cried for a moment, thinking of our wedding and how different it would be without April there. But then again, I never did anything to deserve the treatment she's given me or my family.

Right! My family!

"Where's my mom?!" I said, shooting my face up to look at him.

"They're right over there," he said, pointing behind me.

I turned around and ran to my mother who stood there with her mouth wide open.

"Mom! I thought I was going to lose you again!"

"I thought I was going to lost you too."

"Nikki! Xavier! Are you guys okay?!" I shouted, running over to them and kneeling down, grabbing and hugging each of them.

"We're fine, just a little shaken up," Nikki smiled. "You were great, Vikki!"

"Thanks, I don't feel so great," I muttered, standing up.

Dante walked back over and took my hand, his eyes gleaming in the evening light. It was almost nightfall and I knew that we would have to get home soon, although I didn't know how I could live with myself after what I had done.

I couldn't stop picturing her face as I smashed it in-terrified. Sure, she was passed out, but that doesn't change the fact that she knew it was me who put her eternal life to an end.

"Where are the rest of the elders?" I asked, glancing up at Dante.

"They're gone. They all fled, telling us to take care of April. They hated her almost as much as you did."

"So, they're still out there?!" I began to panic. I was done with all of this fighting!

"Calm, my love, don't worry, they won't be bothering us anymore. The only reason they were fighting was because April had control of them."

"That's true," I sighed.

We all walked outside and transported ourselves back to our house.

The house was even more beautiful than I remembered. Perhaps the events of this evening made me think about how wonderful I really have it. And really, let's face it, killing April was probably the best decision I've ever made.

I walked inside slowly and took my seat on the leather couch. The rest of my family took their normal seats, as well, but something definitely felt very off.

I stared straight forward, not thinking of a think and not worrying about a thing. I hated myself, but I couldn't think of it right now. My mind was as blank as a new sheet of paper.

I felt Dante put his arm around me and I heard the light sounds of Xavier and Nikki playing together. I saw the light of the TV pouring into the room, but none of it phased me. I was silent and frozen.

_Don't worry about it, kid. She deserved the death you gave her,_ my dad said maliciously in my mind.

_No one deserves to die, dad_.

_Just don't worry about it, you should be thinking about the wedding, not about April._

_That's just it, I can't think about the wedding now. She won't be there._

_Please don't beat yourself up about this, Vic. You helped a lot of people by killing her. Think about everyone else, don't think about her._

_It's really hard when all I see in my mind is her face before I stomped it in._

_Hm, I don't know what else to say, other than you shouldn't feel bad. She was about to kill your mom, Xavier, Nikki, and if she would have had her chance, she would have killed you too._

_I know I shouldn't feel bad, but I can't help it right now. Just let me be, please._

_Sure, kid. I love you._

_Love you too, dad._

I stood up from the couch and walked out of the room, never looking at anyone or anything. I strode like a zombie up to my room and lay on the bed, covering myself up with the blankets. I curled up into a ball and cried to myself. It seemed like I was always feeling sorry for myself, but in reality, I just wanted to make everyone else happy.

"Victoria?" Dante whispered, cracking the door open a little.

"Yeah?" I answered, wiping the tears from my face.

"Are you okay, sweetie?" He asked, walking up to the side of the bed.

"I don't really know. I'm trying to be okay, but it's a little hard right now."

"I understand, but you can't beat yourself up over this, honey."

"My dad already tried that line with me. I just keep thinking about her face," I said as I lifted myself up in a sitting position.

Dante took a seat next to me, hanging off the bed slightly.

"I'm sorry, but I just think that you did the right thing. It was a little ruthless," he laughed, "But all in all, it was the right and best thing to do."

"I just couldn't control myself. It was like some animal was controlling _my_ mind."

"Well, that's because it was. If you shape-shift and you already have death on your mind, the animal is going to go through with it. But, if you have peace on your mind, you can do basically whatever you want."

"How do you know so much about it?"

"I've researched many things in my old age. I know a lot of things that I'm probably not suppose to know, but at least I have the knowledge now, considering I can do some of the acts myself."

"Yeah. You know, I'm really happy I have you," I whispered, bending over and hugging him tightly, kissing his arm.

"I'm happy I have you, as well, my love. No more bad thoughts, okay?" He said, lifting my chin up with his hand.

I nodded slightly. I couldn't promise anything, but I'd try.

"I'm sorry you had to go through that today, but hopefully things will finally settle down."

"I hope so too."

"Aren't you hungry?" He asked, standing up off of the bed.

"Yeah, I guess I'm a little hungry. Are Nikki and Xavier in bed yet?"

"Your dad's making Xavier some food and Nikki is just sitting there watching, as she usually does. I imagine they'll go to bed after X gets done eating."

"Okay, that sounds good. You know, we have the two best kids."

"I know, and they're not even ours," he giggled.

"Yeah, they never cause any problems at all. It's like they both know what to do, all of the time."

"Let's go downstairs," he said, grabbing my hand.

I stood up and walked out of the room, Dante holding the door open for me. I skipped down stairs with him at my side, jumping off of the last step and smiling over at him.

"You're too adorable," he laughed.

"Why thank you!" I said in a British accent as we walked into the kitchen.

My dad was standing at the stove making some type of food, Xavier was sitting at the table, rubbing his little tummy, Nikki was sitting next to him, laughing, and my mom was staring straight ahead.

"Mom, are you okay?" I asked, waving my hand in front of her face.

She shook her head and nodded, staring at me.

"What's wrong?"

"I just can't get over what I saw today. I can't get over it," she muttered.

"I'm sorry, mom. I didn't want to do that, but I had to! She was going to kill us all!"

"I know, Vic, I know," she said sadly.

I walked over behind her and hugged her, kissing her cheek. "I love you, mom, please know that I'd never hurt you," I whispered in her ear.

"I know that you wouldn't, but you scared me."

"I know I did. I scared myself too, but I can't take it back, now. I don't know what else to do other than accept my actions."

"I thought you couldn't shape-shift or whatever, anyway," she said sourly.

"I thought I couldn't either, but apparently I can," I said, backing away from her.

Okay, I don't know what's up with my mom, but she's been sort of mean ever since I rescued her the first time.

_What's wrong with mom?_

_I don't know, Vic, she's been acting like this for awhile, now._

_Well, she's being kind of mean and I was just wondering if you knew the reason why._

_Maybe she's just a little confused. We have to give her some time, kid. She just got thrown into this world and now I don't think she really knows what to do, you know?_

_I guess you're right. Maybe she's just really scared._

_Yeah, I think that's about right._

_You scared your mother,_ Dante chimed in.

_I know I did, but I couldn't help it. My body just….changed so quickly._

_I know, but it's going to take her some time to get used to all of this._

_That's what I was just telling her,_ my dad said.

_Would you guys shut up?!_ Xavier said playfully.

We all laughed and Nikki and my mom looked at each other and shrugged. I walked over to Xavier and hugged him, kissing him on the cheek. He tried to pull away but I held him there, kissing him all over.

"Quit it, Vikki!" He giggled.

"I'm gonna get you!" I said playfully. He got up out of his chair and went running around the dining room table, laughing and screaming.

I chased him and tackled him to the ground, lifting up his shirt and tickling his stomach. He kicked around and punched me but I kept tickling him until I heard his stomach growl.

"Aw, you're hungry, aren't you?"

"Yeah! I'm really hungry! Uncle Damien, when's supper gonna be done?!" He shouted, standing up. I pulled his shirt back down and kissed him one last time before I stood up, looking at my dad.

"Almost done," he said over his shoulder.

We all took our places back at the table and Dante took my side again after putting my food in the oven. He took my hand and kissed my neck, stealing away my breath.

"I love you," he whispered in my ear. "Things are going to be great from now on, you'll see."

I smiled over at him. I hoped he was right.


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26: The Monster Within

"I wonder why my mom is acting so weird," I whispered, lying next to Dante. I stared at the high ceiling and saw images of her and I together, laughing, talking, and sharing the best moments in my life. It seemed like she was changed now, and I hated it. It was like she hated me now and what I had become.

"I'm sure she'll come around; just give it some time," he said, laying his head on my chest.

"But, I just don't understand why she's so distant, you know?"

"I know what you mean. Ever since you rescued her, she's been acting a little weird. I know that I didn't know her too awful well before, but from what you have told me, she wasn't as cross as she has become."

"Do you think it's because her mind was altered when I bit her?"

"I guess that could be, but I've never really heard of that happening."

"Well, everything is different now, apparently. Vampires aren't what everyone thinks they are."

"That's true. Maybe something did go wrong when she was changed. I suppose it's a very large possibility…unless of course, she's just scared and confused right now."

"Yeah, that could be too. Well, I'll just wait a little longer; but I really don't think she wants to be here, Dante."

"I think she does. Anyway, did you show her your dress?" He asked, peaking up at me.

"Yeah, she loved it. She told me I looked really beautiful and that you'll be surprised when you see me in it."

"Did she change her mind about me yet?"

"I'm not really sure. She said that she'd try to be more supportive, but she feels like she's losing me all over again."

"I see," his voice trailed off. He looked to the ceiling for a moment and then back at me. _I really wish that she would accept us,_ he whispered in his mind.

"So do I. I wish that she could just know how much I love you."

"Me too," he said softly, propping himself up on his arm. His hair cradled his face in the darkness and his eyes shimmered like green glitter. He was truly beautiful and I only wished that my mother would see him for what he really is-my knight in shining armor.

"I hope she goes back to normal soon. I mean, it's not that big of a difference, but I just don't feel like she's the same person."

"I understand, sweetie," he leaned down and kissed my forehead. "Maybe you should get some sleep."

"Yeah, you're right, I'm pretty tired," I said through a yawn.

I fell asleep shortly after, cradled in Dante's arms. He felt warm now, and that was completely refreshing. His slow breathing was almost like music and it calmed me and the worry about my mother floated away with the notes from his lungs.

Before I knew it, the sun was warming my face again, dancing across my cheek, making me open my eyes.

I woke to Dante lying next to me, as he did every morning. He kissed me softly and walked out of the room, smiling and closing the door.

I picked out something to wear-jeans and a girly top (something I wouldn't normally wear) and opened the door, skipping down the hall. I was in quite a good mood this morning and I was hoping that nothing would go wrong. It seemed like more and more lately, nothing was working out.

I grabbed the railing on the stairs and walked down slowly, peaking around the corner at the edge of the kitchen.

Everyone was in their normal positions and Dante was already making me breakfast. The kids sat next to each other and my mom sat next to them, staring forward blankly.

"Hey, guys!" I said cheerfully. "How is everybody doing this morning?"

"Good!" Nikki and Xavier answered in unison.

My father just looked at me, smiled, and turned back to the meal he was cooking. The only person that didn't respond was my mother. What a surprise.

"Mom, are you okay?" I asked, taking my seat at the table.

"What? Oh-I'm-I'm fine," she replied, shaking her head and uncrossing her eyes.

I gave her an odd look and she looked away quickly, crossing her arms in front of her.

"Do you want to go for a walk today?"

She glanced back and closed her eyes, nodding her head lightly.

I concentrated on her mind for a moment, trying to hear anything, but I felt like something was blocking me. I couldn't break through the barrier; how weird.

_Dad, are you blocking mom's thoughts?_

_It's for your own good, kid._

_And why's that? Why can't I hear them?! I want to know why she hates me so much now!_

_She doesn't hate you, Vic. She could never hate you._

_Then let me hear her thoughts! Let me listen!_

_Fine. But don't blame me if you regret listening._

I went back to concentrating on her mind and the thoughts started flowing into my head like a stream.

_I just don't know what to do anymore. I wish I would have let those people kill me. Why is she marrying that monster?! How could she betray me like this?! Why can't she just see that he's wrong, just like the rest of them? She's seen that they killed every human, and now she wants to invite him into our family?! What has my daughter become?!_

I looked down solemnly. I thought that she was trying to be okay with Dante and I, but she was more than upset about us being together. I knew I had to talk to her, and it had to be now.

"Mom, do you wanna go sit in the back yard and talk to me?" I asked with a smile.

"Okay, sure," she nodded.

_Why does your mother hate me so much?_ Dante asked.

_I'm about to go find out. Please be patient; you know I love you._

_I love you, too. I know it'll be okay. Oh, be sure to come back in the house in about thirty minutes; your breakfast will be done._

_Okay, will do._ I smiled at him as I stood up from my seat, pushing it in.

My mom got up too and we met at the front of the table and walked out of the kitchen and down the hall.

It was sort of awkward, which was weird for my mother and I. We were always so close, and now it was like we were falling apart and I hated that more than anything.

We reached the back door and I opened it, extending my arm out to my mother for her to walk through.

"Thanks," she whispered.

I walked after her and I took a seat on one of the stones. She sat next to me and curled up into a ball, pulling her knees up near her face.

"So, how are you, mom?" I asked, staring into the forest.

"I'm alright, how are you, Vic?"

"I'm good."

"So, why did you want to talk to me?"

"I was wondering if you've changed your mind about Dante yet."

She went silent and stared straight ahead.

_Of course I haven't changed my mind! Does this girl think I'm crazy, or what?!_

"I'm starting to warm up to him," she muttered.

"Sure," I said with a sarcastic tone.

"Why does it matter anyway, Vic?" She shot her expression at me, looking fiercely into my face.

"I just want you to like him is all! He's not the same as them, mom! You need to realize that!"

"And how do you know he isn't different?"

"Because I just do! I've told you everything and it's up to you to believe me now. I love him, and that's never going to change. And really, mom, you have to realize that _you_ are a vampire now! As much as you hate that fact, it's the truth and it was the only way I could save you!"

"I don't want to be this though! I don't want to have this life! I wish I would have let them kill me back there!" She shouted, standing up and pacing.

"What are you talking about?! I don't want to lose you!" I screamed, pushing myself up off of the ground.

"Well, that's what is going to happen if you marry him," she said, crossing her arms and perking up her nose. I swear, I've never seen this side of my mom. She was always the nice, polite one, and now it's like she's turned into the very monster she despises.

"You know what?! You've changed, mom! You're not the same anymore!" I shouted, my eyes burning with tears.

"Well, whose fault is that?" She turned away.

"You're….blaming me for saving you?"

"I'm not giving you an award, am I?"

"I….I can't believe this," I whispered, walking away. I ran into the house and up the stairs, slamming the door behind me and falling onto my bed.

_Sweetie, what's wrong?_ Dante asked in my mind.

_My mom is blaming me…_

_Blaming you for what?!_ I could hear the anger in his voice, although he wasn't talking. I was sure his face looked calm, but in his mind, he was screaming.

_She's blaming me for changing her into a monster._

_She's not a monster! This is absolutely ridiculous! I cannot believe she isn't grateful for her own daughter saving her life!_

_Well, she hates me. I was right._

I turned off my mind and the only thing driving me was my tears and anger now. I felt completely betrayed and almost like I'd lost my best friend. My mother was always there for me and she always supported me, and now she hated my guts.

I heard the door open slowly and very light footsteps making their way to the side of the bed.

Dante picked me up and cradled me in his arms, rubbing his nose all over my face.

"I don't know why she's doing this, but you shouldn't feel bad, love. You did the right thing. You saved her; she just doesn't see that, apparently."

I just cried harder, losing my breath. He hugged me tighter, but the tears just flowed faster.

"Sweetie please calm down," he whispered, lifting up my chin with his hand. I stared at him for a second and then looked down, allowing more tears to escape my red eyes.

"How can I calm down when this is happening? Dante, I worried about her for so long and when I found out I couldn't heal her, it literally shattered my heart. The only way I could save her was to change her, and now she hates me for it. My own mother hates me."

"I just don't know what to say."

"I'm leaving!" I heard my mother scream from downstairs. I perked my head up and wiped my tears, jumping off of the bed.

"Was that my mom?" I asked.

"I think so," Dante answered, standing up.

I ran through the door and he followed me downstairs and into the living room.

"You can't leave!" My dad screamed in her face, grabbing her arm tightly.

"Let me go, Damien!" She yelled back.

_Please help_, my dad thought.

_There's nothing I can do_, I said back.

_Well, please, try something!_

"Mom, what are you doing?" I asked.

"I'm leaving, Victoria! I'm done with this!"

"What are you talking about?"

"I can't take this anymore! I don't want to do this anymore! I hate myself, can't you see that?!"

"Why?! I just don't understand! Why won't you tell me?!"

"I just don't want to be this! You remember what that vampire did to that little girl in the street?! I don't want that to be you!"

"You're too late, mom! I've already been bitten! And another thing; haven't you realized yet that _I can't die_?!"

"I'm just leaving. That's it; I'm done," she whispered, dropping her head.

"Please don't leave me," my dad said softly.

"You're finally getting a taste of your own medicine," she said, turning to face him.

His eyes started to water but he slowly dropped his hand, letting go of her arm. She walked toward the door and turned around, bowing her head once.

"Mom, don't do this. Please, I don't want to lose you again," I stepped forward to meet her.

"I need to go."

"What are you going to do by yourself?"

"I need to be alone to die, Vic. I just can't be this….this creature."

"You can't die, mom. Don't you realize I did this to help you?"

"Being a vampire isn't helping anyone, honey. It's only killing me faster," she said, kissing my cheek.

"Please mom. Please don't leave. I'm begging you," my voice broke. Tears streamed down my face like a waterfall; I didn't want to ever lose my mom again, but she was leaving me for the second time. And maybe the last.

"I wish I could stay. But, I just can't."

"What about us, Destiny?" My dad walked up, taking her hands.

"There is no _us_ anymore, Damien. There is only you; that's all there's ever been."

"I told you that I've changed. Please believe me when I say this to you," he plead.

"I love you and I always will, but this is for the best. You guys will be happier without me bringing you down."

Dante walked forward and took his spot next to me, grabbing my hand.

"Destiny, I would prefer you stayed. Isn't there anything I can do to prove to you that I'm different?"

"I'm sorry, but there really isn't. If my daughter wants to be with you, she can, but I'm sorry, I won't be there to see you marry her."

"I wish you would change your mind," he whispered, lowering his head.

I shook where I stood, crying what felt like the rest of the tears my eyes could hold. I couldn't believe she was leaving me again. I finally had my mother back, but she didn't want me.

"You don't want to be with me anymore," I muttered.

"I want to be with _you_, Victoria. Not the girl that stands in front of me today. You aren't my daughter, anymore."

My mouth dropped open. "How can you say that?"

"Please, have a good life. Don't let me bring you down. I wish you all the best."

And with that, my mother was gone, once again; forever.


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter 27: Looking Up

"I can't stand by and watch her walk away again," I whispered, tears falling from my eyes. I stood in front of the door after my mother closed it and slumped my shoulders, crying until I started to hyperventilate. If this was what she really wanted, I had to accept it. But did I want to? No way.

Dante hugged me tightly, "It'll be okay, believe me. She just needs time, okay? Just give her some time. We did all we could do."

"I can't believe she's doing this to us," my dad said lightly. I let go of Dante and ran over, grabbing my dad and never letting go. We broke down with each other and I told him everything would be okay. I didn't think it would, but it just had to be.

"Why would she do this to me again?" I asked through tears.

My dad picked up my chin with his hand and looked into my eyes. "Maybe she's just trying to give me a little taste of my own medicine."

I backed away, "But that's so heartless, dad! She needs us! She knows she does, but she won't admit it!"

"That may be true kid, but she's gone. And I'm not about to start looking for her. We should give her some time, like Dante said."

"But, I just want her back," I muttered. The feeling of her leaving again stung like someone was burning the open wound in my heart. I needed my mother and she didn't want me. It was the worst feeling in the world.

"Where do you suppose she's going?" Nikki interrupted.

"I'm not sure. That's part of the reason why I don't understand why she would want to leave in the first place."

"I think I know where she's going," I murmured.

They all stared at me for a second, but before I could look back, I stood in front of my old house.

It looked terrible. The outside walls were completely burned and the house looked like it was going to fall over any second. I stared straight ahead and saw my mom curled up in a ball on the walkway in front of our home.

I ran toward her and grabbed her from behind, embracing her. She grabbed my arms and hugged me back, wetting my arm with her tears.

"I want our old life back," she said, her voice cracking.

"I know, mom, I do too. I do too."

"Why did this have to happen?"

"Things happen for reasons. If this wouldn't have happened, you might not have ever seen dad again. Would you want that?"

"It doesn't matter anymore, Vic. We can't ever be the same."

"And why not?" I said, keeping my voice calm.

"We just can't. You wouldn't understand."

"Then help me understand, mom. I want you in my life, and I'm pretty sure you want me in yours, too. We can still have a great life."

"How can I have a great life when I'm this….monster?" She asked, glancing up at me.

"You're not a monster. The only way you're a monster is if you choose to be one. Dante chose not to and so can you. I mean, look at Nikki! She's the sweetest little girl; you've even said it before! She chose to be good and kind and you can too."

"I just don't know if I can handle this. I feel like this was all thrown at me at once. I couldn't remember anything, and the next thing I know, you're there again, your _dad_ is there again, and I've turned into a vampire! It's all a little hard to wrap my head around."

"I understand, but please try, mom. We can help you, you know? Dante really likes you and he hates the thought of you leaving. All I ever talked about was you, all I ever dreamed about was you, and all I ever thought about was you. When you left me again, I knew I couldn't live. I had to find you and I figured you'd be here."

"I'm just so confused, Vic."

"I am too, but I've gotten through it. Look at me, I'm doing great now! I have a wonderful fiancé, my dad is back in my life, I have two beautiful children to take care of, and best of all, my mom is still alive."

"I guess you're right. I'm being sort of selfish, aren't I?"

"I hate to say it, but yes, you are. I saved your life and you threw me away like I never even existed."

"I'm sorry. I just didn't know what else to do."

"Do you want to see if we can go inside?"

I stood up and picked her up with me, letting her find her balance. We walked up the stairs and pushed open the door, walking inside. The door creaked loudly and the inside of the house was completely charred from top to bottom.

We walked through the front hallway and into the living room, pinching our noses to block out the stench. I peaked my head around the corner and stepped into the living room.

I looked on the ground and saw a body-long dead. That must have been where the stench was coming from. My mom walked in next to me and screamed at the top of her lungs, covering her eyes.

"It's okay!" I tried to calm her down. For some reason, it didn't bother me that much anymore-until I looked closer at the face.

Mrs. Wilkins-our neighbor. I don't know why she would have been over here, but she was; and apparently she was killed here, as well. My eyes teared up as I thought of the memories I shared with her and all I could think about was vampires sucking her veins dry.

I closed my eyes and turned away, grabbing my mother's hand and leading her upstairs.

"I can't believe that's really her! Why is her body here?! What did they do to her?!"

I tried to calm her down again, but it wasn't helping at all.

"I'm going to check out my room. Are you gonna be okay?"

"Sure, I'll check out mine, too."

I let go of her hand and walked down the hallway, opening my door. I watched my step, feeling like the floor was going to fall through. My room looked almost the same way I remembered it, except for the black walls and ashes everywhere. Most of my things were burned, but there were a few stuffed animals that had survived the fire. I grabbed them and walked out of my room, turning the corner and entering my mom's bedroom.

She sat on the bed, holding a picture in her hands, crying hysterically. I walked over quickly and grabbed her, cradling her head.

I glanced over the top of her head and stared at the picture she clutched in her white hands-a picture of my mother, father, and me. A tear fell from my eye and onto the picture, sliding down it and leaving a trail.

"I can't believe that picture survived," I whispered.

"I know, I can't either."

"Mom, will you please trust me?"

"Trust you with what?" She asked, lifting her head up to look at me.

"Please trust me that you can be happy with this new life." She nodded her head slowly and then started to shake it from side to side.

"It's going to be hard, but I guess I'll give it another shot."

I smiled at her and hugged her tighter. "I love you so much, mom."

"I love you too, Vic."

"You know, we can build another house that looks exactly like this one?"

"That would be wonderful."

We walked out of the house, carrying our personal belongings and transported back to my new home. My mother blew a kiss at the house before we left and I smiled over at her, promising that I would make everything okay.

I walked through the front door of my new home and into the living room. Everyone stared, but they quickly looked away as my mother moseyed through the opening, keeping her head lowered.

"You….came back?" My dad asked, standing up out of his chair. He walked over to my mom and hugged her. She returned the favor and stared at me over his shoulder. I nodded and she closed her eyes, smiling lightly.

"What are those?" Dante asked, pointing to my stuffed animals I held in my arms.

"Just some things I wanted from our old house."

"Would you like to put them upstairs?"

"Sure!"

We walked upstairs together and he grabbed a couple of the animals, cradling them in his arms.

He held the door open for me and I ran inside, throwing the stuffed animals on the bed. I sat down, grabbing each one of them and kissing them, finally reaching my favorite one-my panda bear.

I lay down and cuddled with him for a little while. Dante lay down next to me, smiling as I kissed and hugged the bear.

"You're too cute," he murmured.

"I missed this bear so much."

"I can see that."

He scooted forward and grabbed me by my hair, kissing me deeply. "You're so amazing, Victoria."

"Why do you say that?"

"You convinced your mother to return. That was quite the feat, don't you think?"

"I guess. She was just confused and she felt like she was being thrown into the situation, you know?"

"That's exactly what I thought. See, she never stopped loving you," he whispered, kissing me cheek.

"I hope this is all done and over with now," I said, staring down at my bear.

"I think it is. Just listen in on her every once and again to make sure her thoughts are still pure and kind."

"Yeah, I agree. I kind of feel a little nosey, but I guess I should use the powers I have, shouldn't I?"

He nodded and kissed me again, pulling me closer until we were right up next to each other. He rubbed my back and kissed my neck, breathing along my jaw line. I looked up, lifting my chin up further so he could reach my neck easier.

Just as I was about to throw the bear to the side and rip his shirt off, he stopped. I wrinkled my forehead and he closed his eyes.

"We should get back downstairs before they suspect something."

"I guess so."

He grabbed my hand and lifted me up off of the bed, steadying my legs.

"You're such a tease," I laughed.

"Am not!" He joked, skipping out of the room.

I ran after him and grabbed him from behind, almost knocking him down the stairs.

"Hey! No dirty play!"

"I can do whatever I want!" I giggled.

We skipped down together and walked into the living room where everyone was waiting.

My mother was now sitting on my father's lap, staring at the picture she grabbed before we left. The kids were playing together on the floor, giggling and joking-having a great time.

"Hey, dad. I have a project for you," I said. He perked his head up, staring at me with wonder in his eyes.

"And what would that be, Vic?"

"I want you to build a house for you and mom. I want it to look like our old house so that she can feel like she's always at home."

"That sounds like a good idea," he said, smiling at my mom.

"I can help out too, Damien. I've been known to be quite handy," Dante smiled.

"Okay, then, we'll start tomorrow."

I was more than glad that everything seemed to be going so well. Sure, my mom had left, but she came back and everything was fine now. She was just confused and scared, which was completely understandable. I needed her and she needed me, and now she realized that.

My parents would remain together-hopefully, anyway, and Dante and I were about to be married. I'd hoped that everything would work out, and right now, with the beautiful scene in front of my eyes, I believed that it would with all of my heart.


End file.
